Sailor Moon: World Rebirth
by QuattreX
Summary: A worldwide crisis occurs and the senshi are scattered across the world, universe, and time. Can a mysterious but familiar youth bring the senshi back together? The epic is *FINISHED*
1. Prologue: World Apocalypse

Beginning Notes:  
  
All of the Sailor Senshi, their names, their past, and their relationships  
are property of the people who created Sailor Moon. (As if you didn't know)  
If you are looking for a romance story, keep on looking because you won't  
find one here as I am terrible at writing that kind of literature. Of course  
if you're looking for an action epic read on!  
  
When I began this story I had only seen the original NA version of Sailor Moon (82  
episodes of the first two seasons). However, by the time that I started the  
third part I had seen all 200 episodes. As a result it is quite confusing  
(even to me)as to when the story actually takes place. The characters act  
sometimes as if it took place after Sailor Moon S and then sometimes after  
they've beaten Nehelenia. Mostly I've aimed for the latter since since chronologically  
i need the characters at that point.  
  
For the most part, this story uses the Japanese names for the senshi.  
I chose not to use honorifics in this story since I didn't start  
off that way but I still shortened some of their names when they're speaking  
to each other.  
  
Watch out because I do sometimes like to change the point of view to keep  
things changing.  
  
Some authors like to write on Hotaru's ability to heal wounds.(Although she  
only does it once and she is possessed at the time) I have also used this  
since it is just so darn neat and useful.  
  
Well, anyway, here we go...  
  
Sailor Moon: World Rebirth  
Prologue 'World Apocalypse'  
  
The whole planet wavered in its reality. All land disappeared. It shrunk to  
half size, and then giant cones came out of the surface. One out of each  
side; 6. The 6 mountains were so tall that if you were at the top of one,  
you'd be able to see the top of four others. Six different types of land  
formed around each mountain; plains, desert, forest, mountains, arctic, and  
volcanic lavalands. Each separated by a channel of water. Each mountain  
housing a being of pure evil. A fraction of the Earth's people scattered  
across the land; the others, gone. An evil world, reshaped by cruel  
ambition. An experiment in creation. Is there hope?  
  
Rei woke up from her fire reading drenched in sweat. After she had seen the  
world, she had seen all of the people suffering, as the evil presence did  
whatever it wanted. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Is  
this really what the future held? Or could it be prevented?  
  
It was a couple of weeks after Sailor Moon had finally set Nehelenia free.  
Life was fine at the moment, with no worries about having to go out and  
fight. All they had to work on was their own lives. For the last couple of  
weeks, they had all lived normal lives, and everyone was happy. Was this  
about to change?  
  
********  
  
"And in today's news, the crisis in North America continues. Someone or  
something or some organization has been destroying main facilities all  
across Canada and the US. There has been the destruction of almost all  
communication devices and power plants. Any city that contained nuclear  
facilities has been leveled from nuclear supernovas. There is death  
everywhere and now two of the wealthiest countries in the world are now the  
poorest. This crisis is spreading across Europe and Australia now also, but  
only in small scale. There has been no evidence found as to what it has been  
caused by. The situation will be updated when more is known. In other  
news......."  
  
Ami turned down the T.V. Something was coming. The senshi were still  
recovering from their last hardship and it seemed that something else was  
coming. This time it wasn't centered in Japan, although she had been getting  
strange readings even here in Tokyo. There was something here, only it  
wasn't evil. It was above evil. But she couldn't seem to figure it out.  
  
********  
  
"Sorry miss, I have not seen anyone by that name. It is very hard to find  
anyone or anything intact. Don't worry, there's still hope. Sorry, but I  
have to go now. My help is needed. Just stay calm."  
  
Mina set down the telephone receiver. It had been three days since she had  
last heard from her parents who had gone on a business trip to Canada. There  
was some kind of crisis there and she was worried that something happened to  
them. Maybe the senshi could help her and they would take a trip there. A  
side mission.  
  
********  
  
Bang! Bang! Bang! "Open up! We know you're in there." So far the door was  
holding up, but pretty soon they'd force themselves in.  
  
Makoto was frantic. Her home as it was at the moment was in danger. It had  
all happened when she wasn't able to have a guardian sign some forms for  
high school. Since she didn't have any, she had to improvise, and for a  
while it seemed like it had worked. But then people began to become  
suspicious. Makoto told them that her guardian was out most of the time.  
They had never actually wanted to see the guardian that took care of her and  
now for some reason they did. The idea that she had no guardian for all that  
time got to the adoption services. They had just researched and phoned her.  
When she had slammed the phone down they must have decided to come see her  
at her house. She was in trouble now.  
  
Makoto was pacing back and forth in her kitchen when they people broke down  
her door. She ran to the back of her house to her room and closed the door.  
She quietly set a dresser in front of it. She grabbed a backpack she had  
just packed that contained everything she wanted to have if she never  
returned, and a coat and jumped out of her window out onto the fire escape.  
  
Makoto followed the stairs all the way to the top of her apartment building.  
She set a foot on the top of the fire escape's railing and launched herself  
across the alley below on to the neighbouring building. "Hey you!" someone  
yelled from below but Makoto kept on going. She sprinted across the building  
and went down the fire escape on the other side. Every so often she jumped  
off it and grabbed on to a lower section. When she reached the bottom she  
reached for her transformation wand and looked both ways down the alley.  
There was no one there.  
  
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!" Sailor Jupiter slipped into the shadows  
where she couldn't be seen. She traveled through them to a place where she  
could hide.  
  
A horny drunk who had just seen her transform stumbled down the alley. The person  
got about half way through the alley before losing their balance and falling on their face.  
  
********  
  
Usagi was happy. She was so happy she was actually doing a school  
assignment. Homework! Mamoru had taken her on a date last night and it was  
wonderful. Just her and Mamoru, no Chibi-usa.  
  
Luna and Artemis were on an undercover mission to North America. They said  
that they feared something was amiss there and they said they had found a  
way to interact with people so that they could gather information. Usagi  
knew nothing of the crisis there.  
  
********  
  
Rei went to her room and changed into a fresh robe. Someone knocked on her  
door. "Rei," her grandpa called. "One of your friends is here."  
  
"Okay, I'll just be a moment." Rei wondered why one of her friends was here  
now. They usually called her first. Rei went out to the front room of the  
shrine. Makoto was standing there tapping her foot. She looked nervous.  
"What's up Mako?"  
  
"Can I hide out at your place for a while?"  
  
"Why? What's wrong?"  
  
"Somehow the adoption officials found out that I didn't have a guardian and  
decided to make a big deal out of it. I had to leave my apartment."  
  
"Sure, you can stay here until you figure out what to do. There's a guest  
room at the end of the hall. Just put your stuff in there. I'll tell grandpa that  
you're not getting along at home and need to get away for a while."  
  
"Thanks Rei. By the way are you okay? You look a little shaken up."  
  
Rei blinked. "Oh it's nothing. I just have a lot on my mind. Follow me." Rei  
led Makoto off.  
  
Outside the window Sailor Pluto turned away. "Sorry Mako. It had to be done.  
The only way to have you leave with all that you really needed without  
telling you." Sailor Pluto faded away.  
  
********  
  
It was an alien being. One with no more than the intention of reshaping the  
Earth in its own image. That's what its kind did. This one had decided to  
travel farther than most to find a planet of its own and had succeeded. In a  
matter of days it would have the whole planet. But it was not evil; this was  
its nature. The scary part was, it looked like it could succeed.  
  
Hotaru awoke from her meditation. Although she had just witnessed something  
dreadful, the expression on her face didn't change. She looked around the  
field. The wind was blowing and the tall grass and her hair were swaying all  
over the place. In the distance, there were two figures. Her adopted  
parents. Although they didn't have her sight talent, she knew that they knew  
that something was coming. Sailor Pluto appeared behind her. "What do you  
think?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"Don't worry. Everything will be okay. At first, things might not seem for  
the best but everything will be all right, eventually."  
  
"Even YOU can't be sure about everything. I'm sure you could have found a  
better way to save Makoto."  
  
"You keep on surprising me. Exactly how much do you see?"  
  
"Of the future? Of the present? I keep on surprising myself. I feel like I'm  
losing myself to the power. It would be better if you did not know."  
  
"Very well." Sailor Pluto held the time staff in front of her. The garnet  
orb flashed and Sailor Pluto wavered and faded.  
  
"I have a feeling that I see more than even you. Especially since i know that  
the coming darkness is something that even you do not see coming." Hotaru looked   
out at the two figures again, and then focused into herself, back into her meditation.  
The world zoomed to herself.  
  
********  
  
Haruka and Michiru looked from the field, out over the ocean. "It's coming."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll be ready."  
  
"I'm sure that most of the senshi know that something is happening. They'll  
have a meeting."  
  
"It's their mission to protect the princess. It's ours to challenge outside  
threats to the solar system."  
  
"You still think our two groups should work separate? After everything that  
has happened?"  
  
"I don't know what I think. All I know is that we will face it together."  
  
"Yes." They clutched their hands together tighter.  
  
********  
  
"Rei? Rei? Are you there?" Rei walked over to her dresser and took her  
communicator off of it.  
  
"Yes Ami, what is it?"  
  
"I just heard that Kakuki Apartments are going up in flames."  
  
"Isn't that where Makoto's apartment is?"  
  
"Yes. I'm on my way over there now. Come join me."  
  
"Don't worry. Makoto's over at my place. She had to bail from her home  
because of adoption officials. She has most of the valuables from her  
apartment that mean anything to her."  
  
"This is too much of a coincidence."  
  
"You're not saying that Makoto planned this?"  
  
"No. I think that someone who knew that there was going to be a disaster at  
the apartment building made sure that Makoto wasn't there. There are many  
weird happenings going on. I think it would be best if we had a senshi  
meeting tonight. I'll call Minako and Usagi and have Mamoru come too. If I'm  
right, the outer senshi are already on it."  
  
"Very well. See you then."  
  
********  
  
"So I'll see you then Usagi?"  
  
"Yes. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Usagi set her communicator down. She wished Luna was here. She always guided  
her when something was wrong. "I'm coming too." Chibi-usa stated.  
  
"Yeah. Whatever." Maybe if she went to see Mamoru she'd feel better. "I'm  
going to go see Mamoru, would you like to come?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"USAGI, CHIBI-USA, DINNER."  
  
"But wait until after dinner."  
  
"Naturally." Chibi-usa and Usagi raced off to eat dinner.  
  
********  
  
Mamoru reached to open the door of his apartment. He had had a long day at  
work, and just wanted to go to bed. "Mamoru," a voice called. He turned to  
see Usagi and Chibi-usa coming down the hallway. He turned the door knob and  
went into his apartment. All was dark. He reached to the right to hit the  
light switch but then he remembered that it wasn't working. He crossed the  
room to turn on a lamp. Just before he turned on the lamp there was a crash  
behind him. He switched on the light and turned around. There was Usagi with  
her face planted into the floor. Mamoru helped her up.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, of course. There's a scout meeting tonight and Ami asked me to  
ask you to come."  
  
"Sure. Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Yes, I've just been kind of uneasy for the last couple of days. I'm sure  
it's nothing." Usagi laughed off his worried look. It was probably just her  
mind play tricks on her anyway.  
  
"When do we have to be there?"  
  
"Oh no! We're supposed to be at the temple right now." Usagi grabbed  
Mamoru's hand and zoomed out of the apartment building. Chibi-usa had  
trouble keeping up. When they were in Mamoru's car and on their way Usagi  
mentioned, "I hope that old man I hit on the way down from your apartment  
was okay."  
  
"You were taking me so fast I didn't even see you hit anyone."  
  
"Don't worry, after you travel at high speeds a lot you get used to it."  
Mamoru shook his head. Usagi gave him a hopeful smile.  
  
********  
  
The senshi were gathered in the front hall of Rei's temple waiting for  
Usagi. Usagi came bursting through the doors towing along Mamoru ten minutes  
late. "Sorry I'm late guys." Chibi-usa came bounding through the doors as if  
she had all of the time in world.  
  
Rei turned towards the room where the great fire was. "Yes well, make sure  
you don't do it again."  
  
'What was this?' Ami thought. 'Rei's not going to scold Usagi? There must be  
something really wrong.'  
  
The senshi went into the fire room and sat down around a table. Rei stood up  
and walked up to the fire. "As I'm sure you've noticed, there's something  
strange going on."  
  
"What do you mean?" Usagi asked, half paying attention to Rei, half to  
Mamoru and the way Chibi-usa was clutching him. Obviously she had no conception  
of what was going on in the world.  
  
"First, here at home, there's the fact of Makoto's apartment building being torched.  
And it just happened that at the time Makoto was over here at the shrine with  
everything from her apartment that she really needed because she was staying  
away from adoption officials. Too much of a coincidence."  
  
"Next, I had a bad vision earlier today about the future." Rei briefly  
described what she had seen. By the time she was done, she even had Usagi's  
full attention. "I'm sure that you've also seen some sign of something  
happening."  
  
"I think it's starting in North America." Ami said. "The television is covered with  
news reports about much of North America being destroyed. Whether it's terrorism or a  
new enemy it's quickly spreading to the rest of the world."  
  
"My parents are on a business trip in Canada, and I haven't heard from them  
in three days. I think something has happened to them. All the disasters there  
only began in the last few hours but it's still odd for them to go this long  
without calling." Mina said.  
  
"I've been feeling uneasy for the last few days, like something's going to  
happen and I have to be prepared for it," Usagi said.  
  
"I think we should go to North America and get to the bottom of this, so it  
doesn't get any worse." Makoto said.  
  
"That's exactly what I was about to suggest," a familiar voice said.  
  
Usagi turned to the door of the room. "Luna, your back." She turned to meet  
her but it wasn't a cat. It was a young woman in a summer dress, and a young  
man dressed casually. "W-who are you?"  
  
"I told you we had found a way to interact with humans." The two people  
glowed black and white and morphed into Luna and Artemis as cats.  
  
"I'm so glad you're back. What happened?"  
  
"Recently Artemis and I discovered that if we tried we could take our human  
forms which we once had back in the early times of the Silver Millennium.  
The cat form granted us immortality, but it was unknown at the time that we  
could change back. And your suspicions are correct. The cause of the recent  
disasters around the world are being caused by something foreign to our solar  
system. We would have returned sooner but we had a lot of  
trouble when we went to find a plane that would return us to Japan. I  
suggest that we return as soon as possible. It seems that it all happened in  
mostly 24 hours. Destruction ranged across the whole continent in a wave. At  
the time we were watching from a satellite. It was quite saddening. I fear  
that this is only the beginning."  
  
"That means that my vision could come true."  
  
"All right let's do it." Usagi exclaimed. Everyone nodded.  
  
"Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!"  
"Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!"  
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!"  
"Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!"  
"Moon Crisis, Make Up!"  
Mamoru took out a rose.  
  
A few seconds later the Sailor Senshi were standing there. They made a  
circle around Sailor Chibi-Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Luna jumped on Sailor  
Chibi-Moon's shoulder and Artemis on Tuxedo Mask's. They all concentrated on  
leaving where they were now. Luna directed where they went. They raised a  
foot off the ground and their fukus floated around, and then they vanished.  
Even though they were just transporting themselves, the amount of energy  
they had to use left the room in quite a mess of destruction. Grandpa Hino  
slid open the door and looked into the room. "Oh dear, what a mess. I'll get  
Rei to clean it up when she gets back."  
Little did he know, she wouldn't be returning.  
  
********  
  
The senshi appeared on the trashed remains of a city. Ami took a quick look around.  
"Why did you bring us here Luna?"  
  
"When Artemis and I were investigating we found that this was the origin of  
the destruction. And anyway, the outer senshi are here." The senshi turned  
around to find the Outer senshi behind them.  
  
"See, I told you that they'd be here," Sailor Neptune pointed out.  
  
"I know, I guess we'll have to work together."  
  
Sailor Pluto stepped forward. "Small Lady, you must return to the future at  
once."  
  
"But I want to stay here."  
  
"It is very important that you return."  
  
"Oh all right." Sailor Pluto held her time staff out and a portal formed.  
Sailor Chibi-Moon gave Sailor Moon a hug. "Don't worry Usagi, I'll be back."  
  
"See you then." Chibi-usa stepped through the portal and it closed.  
  
Sailor Pluto changed the subject to the problem at hand. "You said that you  
know where the attack originated from Luna?"  
  
"Yes, it's just in that crater where a hill used to be." Suddenly the ground   
started to shake and from the crater a small mountain arose. A beam of energy   
shot out of the top of it and landed quite a ways away from the senshi. A black and white mist  
appeared there. The mist glowed and flashed and took the image of a person  
in a black cloak."  
  
"SO THIS IS THE DEFENCE OF THIS PLANET?"  
  
"Thrown right at you! Mars, Flaming Sniper!"  
"Mercury, Aqua Rhapsody!"  
"Jupiter, Oak Evolution!"  
"Venus, Love and Beauty Shock!"  
  
The attacks fired at the figure, but blew up the ground all around him. He,  
(Or at least they figured he was a 'he' at the time) held up his hand.  
Explosions occurred at the feet of the inner senshi and on them and they  
fell back. "Pathetic."  
  
"World Shaking!"  
"Deep Submerge!"  
"Dead Scream!"  
  
The next wave of attacks had the same effect and the same result. Now only  
stood Sailor Saturn and the man. Sailor Saturn paused. She was unsure  
whether to release her attack or not. That pause cost her her chance. He  
held out his hand and shot a beam out of it into Sailor Saturn.  
  
"NO CHALLENGE." Sailor Saturn was blasted back to the ground.  
  
"You still have to deal with me." Sailor Moon stated. "You have invaded our  
planet and I will not forgive you for it. I'm Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and  
in the name of the moon I'll punish you! Everyone, please help me!" Everyone  
concentrated their powers on Sailor Moon. "Moon Eternal, make up!"  
  
"You will, will you." The man waved a finger and Tuxedo Kamen was blasted  
back.  
  
"***can't remember her eternal attack!" The beam of hearts sped towards the man but he  
just deflected it away with a brush of his hand. "NO!" Sailor Moon  
cried as she fell to her knees and reverted to her normal sailor fuku.  
  
"YES. YOU HAVE LOST. FOR CHALLENGING ME I PUNISH YOU!" Sailor Uranus charged  
the man with her sword and swung to attack but the man just blasted her  
back. Then he blasted her again and again, until she stopped moving. He  
transformed into a mist and vanished.  
  
"Uh oh. Where'd he go?" Suddenly the ground started to shake and the ground  
opened up beneath Sailor Moon. Luckily she was able to just grab on to the  
side. "Help me! My grip is slipping!" Sailor Moon tried to hold on but she  
slipped and fell in to the chasm. At the last moment Sailor Saturn jumped  
into the chasm after her and grabbed her hand and the top. Sailor Pluto  
arrived at the top of the hole and pointed her staff to a point below Sailor  
Moon. A portal formed there.  
  
"Drop her into the portal," Sailor Pluto instructed. The other senshi  
arrived at the edge. Acting on instinct Tuxedo Mask followed Sailor Moon  
through the portal. "Follow them, Luna," Sailor Pluto said and Luna jumped  
into the portal. It closed after her.  
  
"Where did you send them?" Sailor Jupiter demanded.  
  
"Where they will be safe." All around the senshi in the distance the Earth  
was breaking up and the shaking was getting worse. Sailor Neptune ran over  
to Uranus who still hadn't gotten up. Sailor Pluto knelt down to help Saturn  
up but she just grabbed Saturn before she fell in.  
  
"Don't worry about me." Sailor Saturn assured. "I'll be reborn in the new  
world. Just remember that Sailor Saturn won't return until she's needed."  
And with that she let go and fell into the chasm to her death.  
  
Sailor Pluto spoke to the inner senshi. "The world is coming apart. You're  
going to have to combine your powers and connect them to the Earth in order  
to survive the coming darkness."  
  
"What do you mean? What do you want us to do?"  
  
"I need Mars and Mercury, and Jupiter and Venus to go back to back. It will  
be easier if you only combine your powers in pairs. Hold each other's hands  
and summon your power to yourselves." The senshi did so. "Now combine it."  
Suddenly a burst of water came across the land and washed Mars and Mercury  
away.  
  
"Where'd they go?"  
  
"Don't worry about that. Now concentrate your powers on the essence of the  
Earth." When Sailor Jupiter and Venus were done they glowed their colours  
for a second and then it died down. "Good. Now you're guaranteed to meet up  
again if you get separated. The only thing is, you have to transform  
together."  
  
"Okay." Sailor Jupiter said. "But what about Mercury and Mars?"  
  
"I don't know. We can only hope that they were able to somehow combine their  
powers with that of the planet, or that they will survive."  
  
"I'm going after them." Sailor Jupiter jumped into the raging waters beside  
them and was swept away.  
  
"Makoto!" Venus called but didn't follow. One of the chasms was filled with  
molten rock and some of the ground caught on fire. When Sailor Venus fell to  
her knees her hair caught on fire. "Oh ouch! Help! I'm on fire." After the  
fire had gotten up to about her shoulders she jumped in the water to put the  
fire out. She rejoined Pluto who was with the other outer senshi.  
  
Sailor Pluto went over to Sailor Neptune and Uranus. Neptune looked up with  
sadness and hope in her eyes. "She's dying."  
  
"I know. Give me the deep sea mirror." Sailor Neptune handed the talisman to  
Pluto and Pluto then took the space sword out of Uranus' hand and the garnet  
orb off of her staff. She held them all together and then they all merged  
and formed a medallion. The artifact rose above them and disappeared.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"This world is coming apart. It was to guarantee that we'd meet up again  
and-" Suddenly the ground in between Sailor Pluto and the other two split  
open and they were separated. "Keep us alive..." Sailor Pluto continued to  
herself.  
  
Sailor Venus came up behind her. "Now what do we do?"  
  
"Survive." Sailor Pluto formed a Portal in front of her. It took longer  
without her talisman but she was able. Artemis jumped through it. But just  
before she stepped through an energy beam shot down from the sky and blasted  
her back into Sailor Venus. The beam surrounded the two senshi with a sphere  
and then they disappeared.  
  
Tears fell from Sailor Neptune's eyes. She held fast to Uranus' hand.  
"Please wake up." Suddenly Uranus stopped breathing. "No! You have to stay  
with me! You can't leave me now. PLEASE!" Sailor Neptune burst into tears as  
she was swept away by the water.  
  
The Sailor Senshi, defeated? 


	2. Episode 1: Fortress Rescue

And to start things off .... a switch to present tense!!!  
This is probably the shortest episdode in the whole story.  
  
Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 1 'Fortress Rescue'  
  
*-Two years later....-*  
  
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon nowhere near Earth. Or at least as  
beautiful as it could get. If you called gray skies and no birds of any kind  
beautiful. Or a world of a frozen iceland. Alright, you'd have to really use  
your imagination to think of it as beautiful, but if you were alive in this  
place you would believe whatever would keep you alive and somewhat happy. Of course  
happiness is an emotion; maybe it would have been some use if the beings on  
this planet had emotions...  
  
A giant bird streaks across the sky. Or at least it looks like a bird. It's  
actually a fortress of some truly evil beings...  
  
In a corner of a hallway in the vast fortress there is only darkness. Then  
there is a light. A young woman appears in a cloud of pink smoke. She's only  
about 15 or 16 and she is on the most dangerous mission she's been on in her  
life. Her long pink hair is hidden from view in the hood of her cloak. Her  
red eyes shine in the little bit of light in the room. She pulls a bandana  
out of a pocket and ties it around her forehead, to cover the glowing  
crescent moon on her forehead. The passage darkens once again.  
  
The young woman creeps silently through the halls without much effort. She's  
been training for this for the last six months. She finds the entrance to  
the prison cells to have more guards than she can handle. She swears and  
moves on. She reaches the doors to the control room when she hears voices  
behind her, getting louder. Thinking quickly she glances around the hall for  
a place to hide. Above her is a ventilation shaft. With flawless grace she  
lifts the grating up and to the side. She's up, only a little off balance.  
The grating is replaced just as three shadows enter the corridor.  
  
The vent leads across the control room. At the other side she is now  
entering the left wing. Unknown to its captives, this fortress is actually a  
flying ship, shaped like something similiar to an Earth bird. It flies over a barren wasteland of  
a destroyed planet. Most of the planet has gone into a cruel ice age. The  
lucky ones now live in this ship. If you can think of evil ever being lucky.  
  
This side of the ship is practically empty. It is mostly used for storage  
and power generators. Unknown to most of the ship's crew, there is also  
something else here....  
  
The young woman continues down the hallway. At the sixth door she stops. She  
recognizes one of the symbols on the inventory list for the room. From marks  
on the floor she figures where the door should be. She places her bare hand  
on the wall but finds that the door has solidified. Referring back to her  
training, she places her other hand on the wall. She directs energy into the  
wall. There's a slight glowing from one of her pockets and then the wall  
liquidifies. Actually, liquid isn't the right word, but it makes it so that  
she can pass through the wall.  
  
She walks through the room until she reaches a shelf in the corner. She  
lifts a box off the shelf and lifts up a lid on the top of it. Inside is an  
orange pearl-shaped crystal. She lifts it out. She then pulls a circular  
disk out of one her pockets. On top of it are two indents. She pulls a white  
crystal out of another pocket and places it in one of the holes. She places  
the orange one in the other. She begins to feed energy into the orange one.  
The orange slowly darkens towards black. But at the same time a woman is  
appearing to the side. She has shoulder length blonde hair and fair skin and is about 18.  
When it's done, the crystal which is now black shatters.  
  
The new girl drops to the floor, but in a few seconds her energy partially  
returns. She looks up with a hopeful smile.  
  
"Thank you, whoever you are. You don't know how long I've been trapped in  
there. What are you going to do with me?" the newcomer asks.  
  
"Do you still have your transformation wand Venus?"  
  
Venus reaches out, calling upon her powers after what seemed like forever.  
Nothing happened. "It's not here." Venus stammers. The young woman puts a  
hand on Venus' shoulder.  
  
"Do not worry Lady Venus, it's as much as I expected."  
  
"Minako."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Call me Minako. What can I call you?"  
  
"For now, you can call me ........Haiku"  
  
"That's better. Now what did you mean by you expected me to be stripped of  
my powers.?" Minako asked while getting used to being able to move her body again.  
  
"I never said your powers were stripped," Haiku answers. "They weren't stripped, but were  
altered. After .....rebirth, the world was rebuilt, so that outside forces  
are used to summon magic. But in this world there is no magic. I expected  
that your powers would be useless after not being used after so much time.  
Only when you had gained complete control of your previous powers would they  
have worked here. And by then I hope to be long gone from this evil place.  
Now come on. We've stayed here already for too long."  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"We're in a ship that's flying over a barren wasteland. It is Exile. I was  
sent here to find you. There should be another senshi in the prison cells.  
Here are some clothes."  
  
Haiku hands Minako a bag and she opens it. She pulls out a shirt, tunic, and  
pants. "What are these?!"  
  
"Well, they're better than what you're wearing now." Minako looks down at  
what she is wearing -nothing.  
  
"Heh. I guess I won't do much good like this." She changes quickly. Haiku  
hands her a bow and a quiver of arrows of different coloured shafts. "A  
bow? What am I supposed to do with this?"  
  
"Your powers are gone and I'm not going to trust you with a sword, so I'm  
giving you a bow." Minako straps the bow to her back. As Haiku turns, Minako  
sees that under her cloak Haiku is wearing pretty much the same as herself  
except that she has a sword strapped to her back and other small things,  
including a bandana across her forehead.  
  
"Well, I was pretty good at archery." Although Minako is only making the comment to  
lighten the mood, she still remembers the times she had tried archery -hitting everything  
except the target....  
  
They leave the room, Haiku returns the doorway to the way it was before, and  
they silently creep down the hall. "You know," Haiku says, "I was told that  
you had really long hair."  
  
"Yeah well, that's a story I really don't feel like recalling."  
  
When they reach the ceiling vent, Haiku jumps up into it in one swift  
motion, and pulls Minako up after herself. The two make their way across the  
control room, and when no one is around, jump down the vent at the other  
side. They make their way, dodging guards, to the prison cells. Now there  
are only two guards. "Use the red arrow," Haiku whispers. Minako just nods.  
She reaches back and pulls out a red arrow without even looking. As if this  
were a chore, she slides the arrow into the bow and fires. The guard it was  
aimed at suddenly finds an arrow growing out of its chest. Or what is supposed to be  
its chest. The guard bursts into flames and runs into the other guard,  
lighting it on fire too. In a couple of seconds, they're gone.  
  
"Wow! What was that?!"  
  
"Just because you can't use magic, doesn't mean you can't use magical  
weapons. Come on. We must hurry."  
  
They run down the hall to the cells. In the cell to the right there is a  
woman a little older than Minako. She wakes up when they enter the hall, and  
stands up. "What are you doing?" she asks.  
  
"No time." Haiku says quickly. There is no visible way to open the cell.  
Haiku grabs two of the bars, and they melt in a few seconds. Haiku hands the  
woman a bundle, similar to the one she gave Minako. "Change quickly."  
  
"Why don't I just transform?"  
  
"It won't work. There is no magic in this place. Just trust me. Change into  
these so we can get out of here." The woman slips out of her prisoner  
clothes and puts on Haiku's. She looks at Minako's bow and Haiku's sword.  
  
"What about a weapon?"  
  
"Well, try to bring your staff to your hands." The woman waves her hand in  
the air and her staff appears.  
  
"That's weird. I'm not even transformed. Also my talisman in gone, but I  
can't remember why. But, I thought you said my powers wouldn't work. I  
summoned up my staff didn't I?"  
  
"It has no power. Magic works differently now. But I can reshape it so you  
can use it to some good." Haiku reaches out and grasps the staff. The staff  
glows and shapes itself to a spear. "Now you will be able to do some damage  
with it."  
  
"Thank you. I know you Minako, but what is your name? Call me Setsuna."  
  
"Haiku, for now."  
  
The three hurry out of the hall. "Now where do we go?" Minako asks.  
  
"Down." Haiku places her hands on the floor and makes a hole beneath them.  
They fall down to the engine room. "We must cripple this ship, so that it  
will cause no more pain." The three of them land behind a giant power generator.  
"The best way to do that is to knock this ship out of the sky. Across to the  
other side of this chamber are two more generators. They are the three main  
engines for this place. I need you two to go and destroy them." Haiku  
unsheathes her sword. "When you go, I will destroy this one. When this ship  
re-enters the planet's atmosphere, you will be teleported to my ship. Stay  
alive until then."  
  
"Right!"  
  
Minako and Setsuna make their way over to the generators and strike at the  
same time. Setsuna with her spear and Minako by firing an arrow. The  
generators explode, sending them to the floor. Then Haiku strikes her's. It  
explodes in a similar fashion, but Haiku has a magical shield formed to  
protect herself. The ship starts to drop and fall apart at the same time,  
because the destruction of the generators has started a chain reaction. A  
ceiling brace falls and traps Minako's leg.  
  
"Help Setsuna!" Setsuna runs over to Minako and tries to roll the beam off  
of her leg. "It hurts a lot. I think it's broken."  
  
"I can't get it off. Damn it! Can't this hunk of metal fall any faster?" A  
live electrical wire falls on to Setsuna's back, electrocuting her. Her  
unconscious body lands on Minako.  
  
"Ohmygod, Setsuna! Wake up! Wake up please...." Tears sting Minako's eyes as  
the ceiling collapses .....  
  
********** 


	3. Episode 2: An Icy Addition

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 2 'An Icy Addition'  
  
Minako woke up to find herself attached to a wall by wrist clamps and the  
pain of her broken leg. "W-Where am I?"  
  
"You're on my ship. It's just as well you woke up as I was about to break  
out of here." Minako looked to her left to see Haiku chained there.  
  
"Why? What happened?"  
  
"Apparently, they discovered my ship a little before we disabled their's.  
They transported over here to investigate. When we appeared here they  
captured us quickly. I expect that they're not to happy about the fact that  
their base is no longer in the sky." Minako turned her head to the right,  
expecting to see Setsuna there, but instead found an empty space.  
  
"Where's Setsuna?"  
  
"I ...don't know. When the ship entered the atmosphere, she wasn't  
transported here. She probably went down with the ship...." They held their  
heads down for a minute. "Let's go." Haiku placed her middle fingers on the  
chain clamps and they shattered. Then she did the same for Minako and caught  
her before she hit the ground. She laid her down on the floor.  
  
"What good am I going to do to you like this?"  
  
"Shhh. Just don't worry about it. I'll have you fixed up in a jiff." Haiku  
slipped one hand in a pocket and one on Minako's leg. There was a slight  
glow from her hand as she welded the bones back together. They were really  
screwed up.  
  
"Why didn't you stop them from capturing us with your magic?"  
  
"I used a lot of energy on the magic I used in the fortress. I had to have a  
rest. There. All done." Minako was surprised that she didn't feel any pain  
anymore. She moved her leg back and forth to find it in perfect working  
order.  
  
"What did you do to it?"  
  
"It wasn't hurt very badly. Just a crack. I used some of my magic to hold it  
together. Now," she took Minako's hand and pulled her up to her feet,  
"Follow me." They exited the very small room and entered a room with barely  
enough room for the two of them. There were doors on all four sides. To the  
left, Haiku pressed a button to the side and a compartment opened. Haiku  
reached onto a shelf and picked up her sword. "Now, I'm ready."  
  
Next she opened the door in front of them. The door split in the middle and  
slid aside to reveal the cockpit. There were two shadows sitting in the  
three chairs arguing over what to do next. But before they could turn around  
their heads, or what was supposed to be their heads, were lying on the  
floor. In a few seconds their remains shriveled up into nothing. "Have a  
seat," Haiku offered.  
  
"Where are we going now?" Minako asked.  
  
"We're going home." Haiku clicked a couple of switches on the board in front  
of them and and grabbed the controls. "First we have to get up to speed so  
we can break out of this reality. I suggest putting on your seat belt." Just  
as Minako strapped herself down she was thrown back in her seat. As the ship  
gained speed she was pressed more and more against her seat until she passed  
out. Just as the ship approached the speed of light with internal dampeners   
running on full, Haiku pressed a button which directed her speed in a different  
way and the ship flashed out of sight.  
  
The ship appeared in a place which looked like where they were before, only  
it was transparent. Minako woke up. "Where are we now?"  
  
"We're in the void; a place which allows you to jump to any part of the  
galaxy. Where we were, was so far away from home, its sun would be a  
microscopic dot in our night sky."  
  
"How did I get so far away from home?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe you were captured and sent there. Someday we'll know.  
Okay, get ready. We're approaching the gate home."  
  
"But our ship isn't moving."  
  
"But everything else is. Here we go." Haiku tilted the ship to the left a  
little bit and they were surrounded by a white glow. She clicked a switch  
and their ship sped off across the universe. "We'll be home in a few  
minutes."  
  
"How do we get out of the void?"  
  
"As we near our destination we tilt more and more into the regular universe.  
When we get home we'll be there."  
  
"What are we going to do then?"  
  
"I don't know. Finding you was supposed to lead to the next senshi. Here we  
are."  
  
As the bright white light around them settled, a planet came into view in  
front of them. Only it didn't look like a planet. It was a sphere half the  
size of Earth, and there were points sticking out of it on 6 sides. "That,  
is Earth?"   
  
"Not anymore. Most people call it .....Hell."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Just kidding. Call it whatever you like. Now, here's how the planet works:  
Each of those Command Points (mountains) sticking out from the surface has a  
magic generator at the top. With all of them on, they make it possible for  
life on the planet. They generate the atmosphere, which keeps all of the  
life-needful gases, and keeps them from floating away into space. Around  
each point there is a different physical region: Forest, desert, plains,  
mountains, volcanic, and arctic. Separating all of the physical regions are  
channels of water, hundreds of kilometers wide. Next to each point there is  
a technological city. The residents there have all of the luxuries of  
technology before rebirth, plus advances that have been created in the past  
2 years. All other technology, anywhere else in the world, has been  
destroyed. All except Resistance's.  
  
"What is Resistance?"  
  
"A bunch of people who are against whoever changed the world. Right now they  
can hardly do anything. But if they can get the Sailor Senshi.... Anyway,  
the rest of the people left in the world all have to live without  
technology, so that means that weapons are ..different. The only force that  
people can use besides that is magic, and nobody can wield the magic except  
the Sailor Senshi and a few gifted others."  
  
"Wait a minute. I thought you said that I can't use magic. I'm a Sailor  
Soldier."  
  
"NOW ENTERING EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE," the ship's computer announced.  
  
"You'll be able to, someday. You just have to learn to use the strands of  
the world for now. When the world was remade, everything was made out of  
magic. There are strands of magic running through everythi-"  
  
Suddenly the ship jerked to the left and a red light started flashing.  
"We're under attack!" Haiku quickly explained.  
  
"I see it!" Minako said. "It came from that Command Point over there." From  
one of the points a blast of energy sent the ship crashing again.  
  
"We have to get out of the skies," Haiku said. "I'm going to head for  
Resistance headquarters." The ship turned away from the Command Point.  
Suddenly another shot was fired and the ship was spun around and aimed  
towards the Point. "Damn! Main power's out. I'm going to have to land  
manually." Haiku pressed a button and two wings slid out of the sides of the  
ship. Then she pressed another and out of the top of the ship, came giant  
glider wings. She used the winds of the planet to glide down to the ground.  
Even though it was a fairly smooth flight to the surface, it was still a  
crash landing.  
  
Only after the ship had stopped moving, did Minako open her eyes. "Did we  
make it?"  
  
Haiku was already out of the cockpit. She went into the hallway and brought  
out Minako's bow. She tossed it to her. "You're going to need it," Haiku  
said as she disappeared back into the hallway.  
  
Minako pressed a button that said 'cockpit' and the top of it slid open.  
They were in a field, obviously in the plains region of the world. Haiku  
came back out and tossed Minako a backpack. "Attach your bow to the side and  
put it on." Minako did as she was told and got out of the ship. Haiku was  
already wearing a similar one. Haiku looked off towards the Command Point.  
"They're going to come looking for us. I'm going to hide the ship until we  
can come back and fix it." Haiku lifted a panel on the side of the ship and  
started flicking switches. First the wings and the glider folded back into  
the ship. Then the cockpit top closed back up again, and the thruster  
openings closed up. An energy field surrounded the entire ship and it sunk  
into the ground. When it was done there was no sign of the ship ever being  
there. The two girls walked off across the fields.  
  
By evening they reached a farmhouse. "I hope they're nice," Minako said.  
  
"Don't worry. They probably are. We're too far away from the city for them  
to have any alliances with it, for it's all the way on the other side of the  
point. Most people in the world now are nice, because they have no reason to  
be mean." Haiku patted her sword. "And if it turns out that they are  
ill-intentioned, I'm sure we can take care of it." Minako followed Haiku up  
to a door and Haiku knocked. A woman with shoulder-lengh blue hair opened  
the door. She was wearing a long light-blue dress with an apron.  
  
"What can I do for you?" she asked. Haiku spoke.  
  
"Please miss, we've been walking all day and we seek a place to spend the  
night." The woman looked outside to the right and then the left.  
  
"Well, I suppose you can come in."  
  
"Thank you." The woman stepped back into the house. She led them through the  
hall which led to the right from the doorway and then into a sitting room.  
On the left wall there was doorway leading off into the kitchen, and further  
down the wall of which they had entered through, a hallway led backwards,  
probably into bedrooms. In front of them was a long padded bench, to the  
left of it was a padded chair and a footstool, and the same on the right. In  
the middle of the room was a table. Sitting on the bench was a man in his  
mid-twenties.  
  
"Visitors, my dear?" he said. "Well come on in, don't be shy." The woman sat  
down on the bench beside the man, and Minako and Haiku sat at the sides.  
"What do you seek? You must have some interesting stories. We don't get very  
many visitors through these parts."  
  
"We're just traveling the world. Just seeking adventure." It seemed that the  
woman was bored with this silly talk.  
  
"Bulls**t," she said. "You're not packed for traveling. If you were you'd  
have horses. These plains go on forever, or at least they seem to. I know  
this world too well. There's no way you could have gotten this far on foot."  
The man became serious.  
  
"Yes, I suppose so." he said. "My wife always knows how to ruin a friendly  
conversation but she is right. No one passes through here without a reason,  
for there is not much of anything here."  
  
Minako was about to say something but Haiku began first. "How can we talk of  
travels when we don't even know who you are, kind sir?"  
  
"Yes. I'm sorry. I'm Sean Cradison and this is my wife-"  
  
"Mizuno Ami," Minako interrupted.  
  
"No," Sean corrected. "Kate."  
  
"Who are you?" Kate asked curiously and suspiciously. Minako jumped up and  
ran over to Kate. She wrapped her arms around her.  
  
"Don't hide it. I know it's you Ami. I can see it in your eyes. You're  
right. There was a reason for us to come through here."  
  
"Kate, who is this woman? Why is she calling you Ami?"  
  
"Don't worry Sean. This is ....Minako." Ami looked back at the girl hugging  
her. "Mina? But you look so different. With your hair short and everything.  
I didn't recognize you..."  
  
"And you too Ami. Your hair is longer now."  
  
"Oh I'm so glad to see you. I thought I had lost everyone, but now you're  
here -so there's hope again." Ami was getting excited.  
  
"Settle down dear. What is going on. Who is 'everyone'."  
  
"Sorry Sean there's something I didn't tell you about my past. I wasn't just  
another high school girl. And my name isn't Kate. My name is Ami. I was  
Sailor Mercury, and I was there when 'it' happened. I was in the last line  
of defence. After the first stages of rebirth I found myself all alone. I  
thought I was stuck that way. But then you came along. I wanted to forget  
everything that had happened; start a new life. And I did. It is wonderful.  
This is Aino Minako, Sailor Venus, but I've never seen this other woman  
before in my life. Is that better?" Sean was speechless, taking everything  
in. Ami turned to Haiku. "But who are you?"  
  
"I'm Haiku, for now. My mission is to have the senshi together by The  
Gathering."  
  
"You're going to have to go aren't you," Sean said aloud. Ami thought about  
it for a minute.  
  
"Yes I believe I'll have to."  
  
"I understand. I'll always be behind you. It's getting late, I'll go call  
Craig in." Sean got up and walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Ami, who's Craig?" Minako asked.  
  
"He's my son."  
  
"In just two years!?"  
  
"No, of course not. Craig is really Sean's son. His wife passed away during  
the darkness."  
  
"The darkness?" Minako asked.  
  
Haiku pulled Minako away for a moment. Quietly she said to Minako, "The  
darkness was the first 6 months after the world was reborn because it took  
that long for the world to be rebuilt. Things were really hard because the  
Earth's surface was always changing when the One was experimenting. Everyone  
had to endure many hardships during that time. It's something people wish to  
forget about."  
  
"I see you've spent your spare time well," Haiku commented turning away from  
Minako.  
  
"What do you mean?" Ami asked.  
  
"This," Haiku waved her hand and Ami started to glow light blue, but it  
flickered.  
  
"Oh that. My 'aura'. I've seen it. It wasn't very hard to figure out, but  
it's very weak, and the backlash always wipes me out for days." Haiku stood  
up and held her hand out to Ami and Ami took it. Haiku's aura started to  
glow, but unlike Ami's, it was pink and glowing steady. Haiku closed her  
eyes and her aura brightened. Ami's stabilized. They let go of each other's  
hands and the auras faded.  
  
"Did-did you fix my backlash problems?"  
  
"No. Sorry. Backlash protection is a natural ability that you can be born  
with, learn to develop over a long period of time, or adapt. I had to learn  
over time. Let's just say....you're powers were in a hole and I threw down a  
ladder."  
  
Suddenly there was a scream from outside. "Oh dear," exclaimed Ami. The  
three ran outside to find a party of 20 monsters using Craig to make Sean  
talk to them.  
  
"Retlocs," Haiku whispered for mostly Minako's benefit. "Demons formed at  
the rebirth. They do the dirty work for the Creators." The retlocs looked  
like a cross between a bull dog, a wolf, a vampire, and a man. They were  
pretty dam ugly. "And if you're wondering, 'Creator' is the name that the  
beings that control the Command Points have given themselves. No one has  
ever seen a Creator, but there are plenty of stories about how they look and  
act. Even Resistance has minimal information about them."  
  
So far the retlocs hadn't noticed them yet. Mina strung her bow and Haiku  
unsheathed her sword. Ami crouched down out of plain sight. By the time that  
Haiku had taken her first strike, Mina had already dispatched three. Haiku  
swung in a downwards, diagonal arc, slitting two stomachs. When the retlocs  
were dispatched they burst into clouds of smoke. Ami tried to form a  
fireball but just succeeded in burning a few of her fingers. Another retloc  
fell to an arrow and another to a blade. By now the remaining retlocs had  
realized they were in danger. The leader tried to send a mental message to  
the Creator but got its head removed first.  
  
The two that were holding Craig threw him to the ground. Sean ran over to him  
Ami grabbed some strands of magic that passed them and formed a protective dome   
around them. An idea sprung in her head and she began to weave strands together.  
  
The narrator contacts you telepathically. In this world everything is  
made up of magic. There are strands flowing everywhere and through  
everything. People who have the gift, like the Sailor Senshi can grab these  
strands and form them into temporary magical things like fireballs and  
shields. This enables them to not to have to use their own energy up. The  
only negative side to this is the backlash. Backlash is where the used  
strands decide to go back to where they originated. Unfortunately, they have  
to go back through the person who used them first and that causes physical  
harm. If one of the senshi is transformed they feel nothing but if they  
aren't, the backlash can be incredibly powerful, even enough to kill...  
  
One of the retlocs shot a bolt of energy at Minako. She was fumbling with an  
arrow and didn't see it coming. It hit her and she experienced a jolt of  
extreme pain throughout her body.  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh"  
  
"Mina!" Haiku cried and looked towards her. It distracted her long enough  
for a retloc to touch her. She got a shock and it lost its arm. Fortunately  
she had a stronger resistance to magic than Minako and was only thrown to  
the ground.  
  
Ami was almost finished when Minako and Haiku fell. Haiku started to get  
back up. "No. Stay down." Ami yelled to her and nearly lost her  
concentration. Haiku was about to argue but when she saw the strain on Ami's  
face and realized what Ami was about to try to do she stopped herself.  
Instead she started to weave a few strands of magic of her own around  
herself as she stayed low and dodged the retlocs. She didn't know how well  
Ami's control was going to be, and she didn't want to take any chances with  
that kind of power. Because she was trying to do two different things at the  
same time, she didn't see the retloc charging her from the side. It burst  
into a cloud of smoke in her face. Minako was back on her feet. Ami was  
finished her spell and faced the remaining retlocs. Haiku threw up her  
magical shield and plucked a strand that sent Minako flying back a few feet to the ground.  
Ami released her delicate weaved magic and gave it an original name for old  
times sake.  
  
"Mercury Polar Ice Sheet FREEZE!!!"  
  
A wave of ice shot in all directions away from Ami through the retlocs,   
freezing them solid and everything around them.  
The shields surrounding Haiku, Sean, and Craig were coated with  
a couple inches of ice. Haiku was right about Ami's control because the ice wave  
continued on and froze a barn. Then the strands of magic broke apart and  
flung themselves back towards where they originated. Unfortunately, first  
they had to go through Ami. Not wanting to face backlash that could very  
well kill her, Ami threw up her arms to cover her face, and prayed that the  
strands would stop. The magic stopped just outside of her body, and drew  
itself all around her.  
  
'Yes!' Haiku thought. 'She repelled it. Now come on Ami, finish the job.'  
  
Ami fell to her knees, being crushed from the magic's powerful inward force.  
Haiku's words about backlash repeated through her head. "It's a natural  
force ...... you can either be born with it, learn to develop it, or adapt."  
Adapt? Adapt to what? Isn't that the same as develop? Oh I get it! Adapt!  
That's it!  
  
Ami fed a little of the magic surrounding her body , into her body,  
willfully, and kept it there. She smiled and was able to stand up, realizing  
that she was right. She proceeded to absorb all of the magic into her body,  
and not let it leave. Her aura appeared and was glowing very brightly; so  
brightly that Haiku had to look away from it. A circle formed on the ground  
around Ami, and then it shot up in the air as a seemingly endless beam of light,  
engulfing Ami. The beam took on the illusion of it being a stream of water.  
  
"Well, if we're going to alert the Creator," Haiku said to no one in  
particular, "We might as well do a good job of it and make a good first  
impression."  
  
Ami held her arms out and she floated up to a couple of feet in the air  
above the ground. Her clothes shredded and underneath she was wearing her  
super sailor fuku. Her tiara shattered and the symbol of Mercury shined on  
her forehead. First her skirt went white, and three lines drew themselves  
across the bottom. Navy blue, light blue, and navy again. On her gloves blue  
bracelets appeared at her wrists, (like eternal sailor moon) but the ends of  
the gloves stayed at her elbows. Her collar went white when her skirt did  
and had two lines running along the sides, one navy blue and the other light  
blue. Both of her bows became a transparent light blue. The bottom sides of  
her back bow lengthened until they were hanging just above her feet and  
turned transparent. The top parts were left at about half of that length.  
Her boots went white also and then had symbols of mercury at their tops.  
There was a navy blue ribbon from her choker to the bottom of her skirt, and  
then two more at her sides from the top of her skirt to just above the  
ground.(Also kind of like ESM). The button in the middle of of her front bow  
changed into a six pointed star. Her back button turned into a six pointed  
star too. Her tiara didn't reform, and she was left with a blue symbol of  
Mercury in the middle of her forehead. Eternal Sailor Mercury was born.  
  
The beam of light which right now looked like water, shimmered back to a  
beam of light, set Ami back on the ground, then burst, sending light blue  
light flying for hundreds of miles around. The light subsided in a few  
seconds. The shield around Craig and Sean dropped and they ran to Sailor  
Mercury. Haiku took this as an opportunity to shatter the frozen retlocs.  
The others were gaping at Ami's transformation. Sailor Mercury was quickly  
explaining to Sean and Craig about how she had been a Sailor Senshi before  
rebirth. Haiku came up to them. "Congratulations Ami," she said. "I knew you  
could do it. Now, do you have any horses?"  
  
"Horses? Why?"  
  
"Well, maybe because we're all in extreme danger unless we get the hell away  
from here. There was no way the Creator didn't notice that surge of energy.  
It'll send demons that make retlocs look like teddy bears." Ami's sailor  
fuku flashed and then she was wearing the same clothes she was before. She  
took charge.  
  
"Sure. We have plenty of horses. Sean, go choose five of our best horses.  
Craig, you help your father, I'll go prepare our packs and change into  
something appropriate for travelling. You two," she said pointing to the  
others, "can help me pack and restore your own, and you can tell me how you  
came to end up here."  
  
An hour later they were all packed and ready to go. Ami took Sean to the  
side. "Listen Sean, I need you and Craig to go to a neighbour's and just lay  
low for a while. There are going to be people looking for us."  
  
"Aren't we all going together?"  
  
"No, sorry. I have a job to do. And when it's done, I'll come home." They  
embraced.  
  
"Alright. I understand. Good luck." They got on to their horses and Sean and  
Craig rode off towards their nearest neighbour. It was getting dark now.  
Minako pointed her horse towards the boundaries of the region and was about  
take off when Haiku asked her where she was going.  
  
"Aren't we getting out of here?" Minako asked.  
  
"No, that's what the Creator will expect us to do. We're going to head  
towards the city and find out what people thought about that blast. Come  
on."  
  
The three friends rode off towards the Command Point. 


	4. Episode 3: Disguise Magic

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 3 'Disguise Magic'  
  
The Creator of the plains stood at the top of its tower in humanoid form,  
overlooking its kingdom. It was just a few minutes ago when it had seen the  
blast of energy. It decided to destroy whatever it was before it could  
become a threat. Although it really doubted anything could actually be a  
threat. Everything had been fine the last two years and it didn't really see  
anything changing now.  
  
But where would they go? They would want to get as far away from here as  
they could. So it would sent troops to the borders of the land. But they  
would have realized that that was what it would do so they would come  
towards the city. But they would have realized that it wasn't stupid so they  
would get as far away as from itself as they could get. But then they would realize  
that it knew that it wasn't stupid so they would come to the point. Oh  
bother.  
  
The Creator summoned a commander to itself. It told it to go to all of the  
borders of the region and cut off all ships from leaving. Then go to the  
place where the occurrence took place. Continue to search everywhere from  
that point. It wanted whoever that was to be found and brought back, alive.  
Satisfied that everything would be taken care of it went back to its  
watching.  
  
It pulled a bottle out from under its clothes. It carefully unscrewed the  
lid and took a sip. It was the last little bit. Time for a refill. It went  
over to a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of an interesting liquid called  
tequila.  
  
**************************************  
  
Within a few hours we had reached the Command Point. Quite a few times we  
had had to hide from groups of retlocs. A couple of hours later the city was  
coming into view. By then it was black night and the only light we had was  
my and Ami's magic. It would have been suspicious for us to enter the city  
that late at night, so we set up a tent a mile away from the city. I cloaked  
us in darkness with my magic so we wouldn't be found while we were sleeping.  
Although I really doubted we would.  
  
In the morning we had a great breakfast from the food that Ami made us pack.  
Who would have known that her cooking would have gotten so good. After we  
cleaned up Minako brought up our little problem. "So, how exactly are we  
going to get into the city. From what you've said they're not going to just  
let us in."  
  
"You're right," I told her. "We're going to have to sneak in somehow."  
  
Ami rubbed her chin. "Hmmmmmm. I have an idea."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Every couple of months or so my family and I bring fruits and the sort to  
the city. There isn't any other way for fresh food to enter the city. So we  
bring them foods like that and they give us metals, gas, oil, and those  
sorts of things. If we used our magic to disguise ourselves all we would  
need to persuade is the guards and then just ...disappear."  
  
"Alright. It sounds like a good plan. What do you need us to do?"  
  
"I have completely no idea how to make the disguise. Do you?"  
  
"Yes," I said. "Let's get moving." We left our horses hidden at the  
campsight. When we were within sight distance of the city I created the  
illusion. Basically all it was, was a cart pulled by an ox. The cart was  
covered with a sheet. I changed Ami's appearance so that she looked like a  
man. I gave Minako and I farmer's clothes. When we reached the gates, a man  
in a uniform stepped out of a door and stood in front of the gates.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked. Ami replied,  
  
"We bring you grains and fruit, and wish to trade them for oil and steel."  
The guard strolled up to the cart and looked at the three of us. At a part  
where the covering of the cart wasn't tied down he lifted it up.  
Fortunately, I had anticipated this and had the illusion already created.  
All I had to do was put it where he was looking in. All he saw was some raw  
grains.  
  
"Very well. Proceed." I felt a tingling sensation as I led the cart into the  
city. I looked over to see Ami felt it too. We came to the same conclusion  
at about the same time. Looking back at the entrance, as Minako came through  
the air around her tingled a little. As we had come through the entrance we  
had been scanned. I took a glance into the guard booth and saw a puzzled  
guard pointing at a screen. I urged the cart on a little faster. The guard  
came out of the booth and caught up with Ami.  
  
"Excuse me, Sir. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to confiscate your cart."  
Ami turned around and punched the man in the face. Unprepared, he fell to  
the ground. He reached to his belt and pointed a gun at Ami. "Don't move,"  
the guard warned. I quickly scanned the area for a place to hide. Ami didn't  
need to move. Already weaved, she shot a blast of ice out of one of her  
fingers that froze the weapon. I ran and grabbed Ami and Minako and we ran  
to an alley across the street. As we ran away, the cart disappeared. But as  
it did there was a burst of light that blinded everyone. As we watched, the  
guards figured that it was a training exercise from the Creator to make sure  
that they were alert.  
  
I watched people pass buy for a minute and then I changed our appearances so  
that we looked like three men who looked like everybody else. I left Ami to  
maintain her own disguise and we went out on to the streets. We passed a lot  
of office buildings and a few shopping centers. Next we went through the  
residential area. There were hundreds of apartment buildings and thousands  
of houses. We continued through there until we reached the industrial area.  
It was there between the two areas that we found what we were looking for.  
The city brothels. We walked into one and sat down at the bar as if we had  
every right to be there. Ami ordered something light and Minako was shocked.  
Ami just laughed and said that Sean had bought her stuff much stronger than  
what she was having.  
  
Farther down the bar and at a few tables there was a group of men. They  
seemed like the main bit of discussion in the bar, and the ones that carried  
the most conversation. Just as we had hoped they were discussing the events  
of yesterday.  
  
"Well, whatever that was, it's sure got the Creator worried." One man said.  
  
"Yeah. You should have seen how fast it sent retlocs out to all of the  
boundaries of the region."  
  
"It must have been something really important."  
  
"Rumor is that a force to challenge the Creators is forming," one man said.  
Haiku noticed that Ami was studying this one pretty closely.  
  
"Don't let any loyalists hear that or they will think that you would have  
something to do with it.  
  
"Don't worry," the same one answered. "I reckon that they're afraid of this  
place. After all, this is a smelly place full of evil right?"  
  
"Yeah. Whatever."  
  
"Everybody here is on the same side right? That's why we're all here."  
  
"Cheers to a bunch of helpless nobodies." Everyone took a drink.  
  
"But really. If the one who caused all this ruckus was here right now, I'd  
give them a pat on the back and buy them a drink." Cheers in agreement came  
from around the room. Then the man looked over to see Ami studying him.  
"Hey, what are you looking at." Ami caught herself and quickly looked away,  
and took a sip of her drink. The man wasn't discouraged. He got off his seat  
and started walking over to us. "Do you have some kind of problem?" He  
turned Ami around in her seat and looked her in the eye. "Do you know  
something we don't?" He threw her to the ground. Ami didn't really want to start a ruckus.  
"Can't you speak. Are you some spy of the Creator? I hate spies."  
  
"I ...I" The man picked her up by the front of her shirt and slammed her  
against a wall.  
  
"You what?" The breath was knocked out of Ami and she lost her  
concentration. She had been holding on to strands of magic the whole time  
and she let go of them and they screwed up the disguise spells I was using  
on her. Before I could fix what was going on, Ami's disguise flickered and  
disappeared. The man dropped her. "W-who the hell are you? Some kind of  
witch of the Creator?!"  
  
"Don't you remember me Urawa? Back when I helped you. Ami flashed an image  
in his mind as she made him see herself how she looked about six years ago,  
then as Sailor Mercury. And some of the little adventures they had. The look  
was enough to break the barriers created by the ginzuishou that blocked his memories of the year he  
lost. Fortunately that wasn't really a whole lot.  
  
"Ami? I suppose you're responsible for all of this or know who is." Urawa  
went back to where he was sitting before. A man spoke to him.  
  
"So, who's the witch?"  
  
"She's not a witch, she's a," He scanned the room to see if any soldiers  
were in the room. "Sailor Senshi." Silence covered the room. Ami had gotten  
back on to her chair. She was taking a sip of her drink and everyone was  
looking at her.  
  
"W-what? Why is everyone looking at me. Uhh.. Haiku..."  
  
"Come on Ami, spill." Urawa crossed his arms. "Tell us what happened last  
night. You're not going to be left alone until you do."  
  
"I -don't know anything about last night."  
  
"Gimme a break. You don't live here. There must be a reason why you're here.  
Don't worry. Everyone here is on the same side." Ami looked to me for advice  
on what to do next. I figured that the more people we can get working for  
Resistance the better. And if we come into danger we'll just have to deal  
with it. I nodded approval to her.  
  
"Well, I, that is, um, it was just ..the revival of my powers."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, after rebirth I lost my senshi powers. And yesterday I got them back,  
in somewhat of a light show." There was somewhat of an understanding and  
approval in the room.  
  
I saw a figure in a trenchcoat slowly making its way towards the door. I  
pointed a finger at it and it froze. I got off of the barstool and dropped  
my disguise. That brought gasps from around the room. I could see that  
whoever it was, they were struggling madly, trying to get out of there in a  
hurry. I grabbed him and threw them into the middle of the room. I could see  
now that it was male. I drew my sword and pointed it at his throat.  
(Universal sign for 'do something or die'.) "Who are you and why were you  
trying to get out of here so quickly." The person said nothing. "Very well  
if you don't speak to me I'll make your death so painful, you'll wish I'd  
done it quickly." I pressed my sword against his chest.  
  
"Okay, okay. I'll talk. The Creator sent me. It wanted me to find out the  
reactions of the people of the city. And even if you kill me it'll still  
know something happened to me. That's all I'm going to tell you."  
  
"What do you think I should do to you? I can't kill you, and can't let you  
live."  
  
"Kill me. I dare you." I poked my sword at him again.  
  
"It's very tempting, but I'm not going to kill you. I have something better  
I can do to you."  
  
Urawa spoke up. "If you dirty up my floor you'll have to clean it." I  
ignored him. I pulled my crystal out of my clothes, but I didn't let anyone  
see it. That would bring up too many questions. I held my fist out to him.  
My fist started to glow, a beam shot out of it to the man and he started to  
glow too.  
  
"W-what are you doing to me?"  
  
"Moon Purify...." I whispered. The man went completely limp. Then a black  
mist arose from his body. I dropped the crystal back into a pocket. I knelt  
down beside the man. "Are you all right Sir?" I asked.  
  
"I ...uh ...where am I?" he said in a confused voice.  
  
"You're in a brothel, in the city."  
  
"Yes, now I remember. I was walking home from work, when someone jumped me  
and knocked me out. When I woke up I was in the Command Point, and couldn't  
control my body. There was something in my head making me speak and do  
things. I'm alright now aren't I?"  
  
"Yes. I got rid of whatever it was that was in your head. Now go home. I'm  
sure someone must be worried about you."  
  
"Thank you." With that the man ran out of the bar. I walked over and sat  
back down on my stool.  
  
"Well?" I looked over at Urawa. He was speaking for everyone, and he  
obviously wanted to know what just happened. I answered as best I could.  
  
"I saw that man moving towards the door. He obviously wanted to get out of  
here in a hurry. He had been by possessed by some creation of the Creator. I  
just killed whatever it was. And to answer your other question yes, I am who  
you think I am." That had to answer whatever he wanted to know. Before my  
mission started I had travelled, spreading word of a 'gatherer' who was  
going to form a force to send against the Creators.  
  
"So, it's begun," he commented. "What do you want us to do?"  
  
"If you crave the old times, or something better, meet your destiny at The  
Gathering. If your cause is true, when the sky turns green, you will find  
your way to Crescent Island. Just be there with as many people as you can."  
Suddenly a wind picked up outside, loud enough for us to hear. "Oh no. We've  
stayed too long."  
  
"What do you mean?" Ami asked. "Why isn't my magic working?"  
  
"It's a Creator." I answered calmly. There was complete silence in the room.  
Minako started to get up. "No," I told her. "There's a chance you haven't  
been detected yet, Because you're in disguise and you haven't restored your  
magic. I need you to come and get us."  
  
"What?" she said startled that I would say such a thing. "You're just going  
to let yourself be taken!?"  
  
"We can't take on a Creator," I explained to her. "We don't have the power.  
Our only chance is to be able to escape." I handed her a ring. "Use this to  
sneak into the point." At that moment the door flew open, sending it across  
the room. All we could see was black. Pure evil. The black seemed to suck in  
all light around it. Two black tenticles shot out of it and wrapped  
themselves around Ami and I. Then we were pulled into it.  
  
********************  
  
Minako was shocked. How was she supposed to save her friends, by herself,  
from the hands of a Creator. She took a look at the ring Haiku gave her. It  
was just a circle. It had no signs on it or anything. Everyone in the bar  
was shocked that they had actually seen a form of the Creator. Minako turned  
to the group of men. "What is the easiest way to get into the point?" she  
asked to no one in particular.  
  
"What difference does it make to you? Go have another drink son."  
  
'Son!?' Minako thought. 'Who does he think he's talking to.' Minako looked  
down at herself. 'Oops, how am I supposed to get out of this stupid  
disguise.' Looking at the ring again, she noticed a symbol of the moon on  
it. She touched it and it turned into a pen like Usagi's disguise pen. Then  
it turned back into the ring. Minako slid the ring on to her finger and her  
disguise faded. By now, no one in the bar was surprised by this. She walked  
back over to the group of men. "Now, how do I get into the Command Point to  
rescue my friends."  
  
"Oh no, not another one." The man in front of her said. "Give up. There's no  
way you'll be able to get into that place. It was a nice try but it's over  
now. If you want to though you can come and stay with me." Minako pulled out  
a knife and slit his throat. It was scary that she had done it so easily  
without a second thought. 'What happened to me during those long years as a  
prisoner?' she asked herself. She didn't even feel guilty. It was like a  
reflex.  
  
"Now is someone going to help me or end up like him?" Someone near the back  
spoke up.  
  
"Go through all of the factories, -if you can. You'll find what you're  
looking for there."  
  
"Thank you very much." Minako turned around and someone slapped her butt.  
She kicked his nose out of place and walked out of the bar. All of a sudden  
Minako wasn't sure if she wanted to go through with this. The industrial  
part of the city looked like a place of death; especially with it right in  
the Command Point's shadow. Anything could happen to her. Shaking away any  
idea of not going through with this she walked into it.  
  
She received yells from homeless people lying around, dying. At one point  
someone grabbed her from behind. "You look lonely honey, how about you come  
over to my place?" Minako just turned around and kneed him where it counts.  
As she ran away from him she could hear his yells of anger. She was tired of  
getting all of this attention. 'Maybe this ring could help me?' Minako  
turned into an alley. 'Now what did Usagi say...'  
  
"Ummm ...disguise power! Turn me into a homeless old man!" A second later  
she was gone and all you could see was what you'd expect to see in the area.  
Some old bum. 'But what was Haiku doing with something like this? Where's Usagi?'   
Minako decided to ask Haiku the next time she saw her, but promptly forgot about it  
completely as soon as she stopped thinking about it. The rest of the trip was uneventful.   
At last she reached her destination. It was a clear, enclosed passageway from the city to the  
command point. There were two guards, one on each side. No matter what she  
looked like if the guards saw her she wouldn't be able to get past them, so  
she worked with that. "Disguise power, make me invisible!" At first nothing  
happened. Then Minako noticed that she was back in her regular clothes. It  
looked like it didn't work. But what if it really did work? There was only  
one way to find out. Minako approached the guards, and didn't stop until she  
was in between them. No response. Taking a closer look at the passage she  
found that there was some kind of field blocking it off. Looking around, she  
found some controls behind one of the guards. The only way to them was  
through the guard. These guards were still shadows, but shaped as men. Maybe  
they were once men? Minako just hoped that they could be killed just like  
men. Minako pulled a dagger out of her belt and sliced the guards' necks.  
They crumbled and burst into dust.  
  
Acting quickly she pressed all of the buttons of the controls at once,  
hoping that one was the controls for the passage. One did and the shield  
disappeared. One was also the alarm. Minako ran into the tunnel. At about  
half-way, she looked back over her shoulder to see shadows gathering at the  
entrance. They obviously couldn't see her. Otherwise she would have some of  
them chasing her. They probably figured some prowler killed the guards and  
ran back into the city. At three quarters of the way through a voice said,  
"SECURITY BARRIERS LOWERING."  
  
As Minako neared the end a wall began to lower over the passage. At the last  
moment she dove towards the floor to slide under.  
  
Unfortunately she was just a little too slow and slammed into the wall,  
knocking herself out.  
  
When Minako woke up it was dark. From the glint on the horizon she figured  
it was a couple of hours before dawn. She looked all over the passage but  
couldn't find any controls to lower the security barrier. Then the barrier  
blocking the way she came in opened, and two shadows stepped through. The  
barrier started to close and the other one started to open. She pressed  
herself tight against the wall as the shadows passed her. She followed them  
through the passage and into a hall, but wasn't fast enough to make it into  
the elevator they entered before the doors closed. Shadows could move VERY  
fast.  
  
The elevator was at the end of the hall. To the left and right of the  
elevator were staircases. One leading up and one leading down. The hall  
looked more like it was part of a space station than the inside of a  
mountain. She decided to take the stair case leading up. Eventually she  
reached another floor. It looked exactly the same as the previous one,  
except it was pointing in a different direction. The elevator was there, and  
another staircase leading up. At the end of the hall was a screen instead of  
a door. She walked down to it and it turned on. There were a number of  
choices on the screen. They were Current Orders, Security Schedule, Map of  
City, Map of Point, and some others that Minako didn't understand. She chose  
to see a map of the point. A spinning three dimensional map appeared on the  
screen. She was in one of the ten 'Shadow barracks'. Above that was the  
'main control center', and everything above that was just labelled as  
'Creator's area'. Underground were cells and torture chambers. Minako  
figured that her friends were either in the cells or with the Creator. She  
figured that the Creator would want to deal with them. That would be her  
destination. She decided to take a closer look at the main control center  
and found what she needed. 'Armoury' was how the room was labelled. She  
pressed the off button on the screen and just before it shut of it said on  
the screen, "For portable version take disc". She looked down to find a rack  
of disks on a shelf. It was about 5 inches across by 1 inch thick. Minako  
figured it might come in handy and slipped it into her pack. She headed for  
the stairs leading up.  
  
"Level 2, Level 3 ...Level 8, Level 9, 10!" Minako finally reached the top  
of the shadow barracks. Only one left! With new encouragement the last  
flight of stairs was easy. This floor was different than the others. It had  
a tiny hallway and then opened up everywhere to the control deck. It  
wouldn't have been very hard to get lost; then again, that was the point of  
it. She carefully recalled the directions to the armoury and was wondering  
how to get in unnoticed when she found the door already open. There were  
retlocs lined up and leaving with weapons each on separate sides of the  
hallway. It was hard not to run into any of them. Dodging back and forth  
while retlocs came running at her she made her way into the room. She  
gasped. There was a man giving orders. Not some shadow, an actual human.  
  
"You know your orders," he was saying, "Go to the borders and don't let  
anything leave. Search the city. We don't know how many enemies are out  
there. The Creator caught two but there could be more out there." In the  
room there were boxes and boxes of guns. Minako grabbed one from a pile and  
it turned invisible on contact with her hand. In a box labelled 'explosives'  
there were a bunch of cylindrical objects that could fit in her hand. She  
grabbed four and stuffed them in her pockets. On one wall there were screens  
showing videos on how to work the guns and the explosives. The guns shot  
lasers that refilled by using strands of magic. The explosives were just  
really deadly. 'All of these weapons could be a real annoyance,' she  
thought. 'Maybe I should do something about them.' Taking another explosive  
out of the box she set it for a minute and ran out of the room. So that  
enemies couldn't tell when the explosives were activated, it looked exactly  
the same as all of the others. Minako used the gun to blast openings through  
hallways to get back to the stairways in the center of the floor. There was panic all around her  
with laser blasts seemingly appearing from thin air. She  
charged up the stairs leading up. She was almost to the top when she heard  
the explosion. It shook the mountain. Unfortunately the armoury was on the  
edge of the fortress. So it just made a big hole in the side of it.  
  
At the top of the stairs she saw that the elevator was filling up with  
shadows who wanted to see what had happened. As the door closed Minako  
tossed an explosive in after them. She ran down the hallway on this floor  
counting the doors on the right. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,  
eight!" She blasted open the eighth door. Ami was chained to the far wall.  
Her eyes were closed. Her face was battered and bruised. Her clothes were  
ripped. "Ami are you okay?" Ami looked up.  
  
"Who said that?"  
  
"Ami, it's me."  
  
"Minako? Where are you?" Minako realized that she was still invisible and  
fixed it. "Mina, you came!" Minako shot the ends of the chains holding Ami  
against the wall. And then the braces around Ami's wrists. "Haiku is in that  
room over there," she said pointing to a side room. Minako blew up the door  
to find Haiku standing there tapping her foot.  
  
"Well it's about time. Now hurry, we have to go to the next room." Haiku led  
them across the hall to another door. It was unlocked. She stepped in and  
walked to a table in the middle of the small room. She picked up returned her  
sword sheath to her back. "Okay. Let's get out of here."  
  
Minako led them out into the hall and up the stairs leading up. "There's  
kind of a mess on the floor below. We don't want to go down there now," she  
said. They followed the stairs up and up and up. This staircase was much  
longer than all of the others had been. After a little bit they reached the  
top. It was a small hallway. There was no elevator door, and no stairs  
leading up. There were doors on the left and right, and a small lift on the  
opposite side of the room. "Be careful," Minako warned, "We're in the  
Creators quarters." They quickly skimmed across the room and got into the  
lift. Haiku pressed a button and it started to rise into a shaft in the  
ceilling.  
  
They came to a floor with a table with buttons on it in the middle and an  
oval-shaped object on the far wall about twice as tall as any of thm.  
  
"This is a link room." Haiku explained. "Resistance wasn't even sure if they  
existed." She walked over to the table and fiddled around with some  
controls. "It's all password blocked off. What do you think Ami?" Ami was  
looking all over the table taking in everything that was there.  
  
"I might be able to break into it." She made her little computer with the  
Mercury symbol appear on the table. She opened it up and blew off the dust.  
She pressed a few buttons. "It's not very well guarded. I've linked my  
computer to whatever controls it. I'll be in in a few seconds. What do you  
want me to do?"  
  
"Send us to the border of Toria. We're in Kaipo now." Ami quickly set up the  
link and the oval shaped object on the wall changed from black to green.  
"Okay. Come on, let's go."  
  
"Go where?" Minako asked.  
  
"Jump through the oval. Go with her, Ami. I'll be with you in a minute." Ami  
dragged a reluctant to leave Haiku alone Minako over to the portal. "Just a  
minute,"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Minako, give me the ring I gave you earlier." Minako slipped the ring off and  
gave it to Haiku. Ami and Minako left through the portal in a flash of  
light. Haiku got to work. She began to weave and twist all of the strands of  
magic in the room to each other and the ring. When she was finished she let  
go of the ring and it floated up into the middle of the room. She quickly  
departed via the portal.  
  
A shadow flew ahead as the Creator followed it up to the link room. The  
Creator felt it being activated and told its shadow commander to hurry. They  
floated very quickly through the halls and stairways of the Command Point.  
When they reached the link room the shadow rushed in to find any enemies.  
The Creator was too late to warn it. The shadow disturbed the weavings of  
the magic strings and they all tried to go through whoever weaved them.  
Haiku wasn't there anymore so they just whipped around wildly. The ring  
snapped and exploded. The whole room exploded and it blew a giant hole in  
the side of the Command Point. Only through magical means did the top of the  
point not fall over.  
The Creator was going to be in trouble now, and it was not looking forward  
to the punishment to follow.  
  
********** 


	5. Episode 4: Forest Ally

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 4 'Forest Ally'  
  
The leaves on the trees waved back and forth, and up and down, welcoming  
their new visitors. After a good night's sleep Haiku, Ami, and Minako were  
ready to continue their journey, which was now mainly walking through the  
forest. "So what exactly do we have to do?" asked Minako.  
  
"Well, first we have to gather all of your friends," answered Haiku.  
  
"How are we supposed to search the entire world for less than 10 people?"  
  
"The world isn't really that big Mina," Ami said.  
  
"The world is only about half the size it was, and over 80% of its surface  
is water." Haiku continued. Ami stopped.  
  
"Haiku, then wouldn't the gravity be lower or is that controlled with  
magic?"  
  
"Magic."  
  
"Still, we can't barge into the command points whenever we want to travel to  
a new region," Minako said.  
  
"Someday, when things quiet down a little in Kaipo we'll go back and pick up  
my ship. Until then ..." Haiku said.  
  
"You know," Ami mentioned, "There are ships that travel from continent to  
continent. We can always try to get aboard some of those." As they were  
talking the forest began to get denser and denser. Eventually all that they  
could see were the plants standing right in front of them.  
  
"How are we supposed to find anything in this mess?" Minako whined. "We need  
to find some kind of path. I don't even know which way is which and the bugs  
are killing me." Minako slapped a big bug on her cheek and it splattered  
blood all over her. "Yuck!"  
  
A few minutes later they heard growling."W-What is that?" Minako asked.  
  
"Oh I'm sure there are some creatures lurking in the forest wanting to eat  
us," answered Haiku calmly. Minako got a worried look on her face.  
  
"Stop scaring her, Haiku. I think I've found a path," Ami said. Haiku put an  
innocent look on her face as Ami led them to the right a little where they  
reached a path. It looked fairly well used, but it twisted so much it was  
impossible to tell whether it travelled in a straight line or not. A couple  
of hours later Haiku came up beside Ami and whispered in her ear.  
  
"There's someone following us."  
  
"I know. Ever since we started on the path. What do you think?"  
  
"I'm not sure. It hasn't shown itself yet so maybe it isn't a threat."  
  
"We can only hope..."  
  
Our heroines followed the path for the rest of the day, just stopping to  
rest and eat. It wasn't until that evening when the trouble started. They  
were looking for a place to spend the night. Or at least Ami and Haiku were.  
Minako was just complaining. "What makes you think we're going to find  
someone in a forest like this?" She was basically talking to herself.  
  
They were entering a bulge in the path when two creatures appeared at the  
point where it narrowed back in. There were a couple more behind them too.  
Haiku unsheathed her sword. Ami formed a barrier around Minako and herself.  
The creatures had four legs and a ferocious mouth. That was all you needed  
to know about them. Except the fact that they were a dark red colour.  
Probably so that blood stains wouldn't show.  
  
One of the front ones leapt at Haiku and she gave it a good deep gash across  
its jaw which effectively stunned it for a moment. It was finished with an  
arrow down the throat from Minako. The two creatures behind them just  
crashed into Ami's barrier. Back in front where Haiku had slain one another  
one just took its place. The dead one slouched to the ground.  
  
"Haiku, help me." Haiku turned around to see the magic threads forming Ami's  
shield disappearing. "I can't hold it." Ami didn't have enough threads to  
last for much longer. The creatures seemed to be feeding off of the shield's  
magical energy.  
  
"Transform, Ami."  
  
"But I don't have a stick."  
  
"Touch your forehead." Haiku didn't have time to explain as she was  
assaulted by both creatures in front of them at once. Ami touched her  
forehead and the symbol of mercury appeared on it. A copy of it floated out  
of her forehead and stopped in front of her face where she could see it. A  
circle formed around it. The circle became a 3d block and a handle formed  
below it. A six pointed star formed around the circle. The circle was a  
light transparent blue with a white symbol of mercury on inside it. The star  
was blue and so was the handle. A circle, a very simple symbol of eternity  
formed around the sign of Mercury. She held it high.  
  
"Mercury Eternal, Unite!" The transformation was the same as always except  
when it reached the part where her suit formed and she was underwater, the  
water froze, then shattered. The transformation continued, only her fuku had  
the new adaptions. The magic barrier collapsed but a flash of light blinded  
everything. "FREEZE!" When next anyone could see, the four creatures were  
frozen solid. Haiku shattered them with her sword. Ten more of the creatures  
appeared to their sides. Haiku grabbed Minako and lined her and herself up  
infront of Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mercury held up her arms to the sides.  
"Mercury Polar Ice Sheet FREEZE!" A wave of ice burst from each of Ami's  
arms and froze all ten of the creatures. All it took was the planet's  
gravity to shatter them. Unlike at the farm, this time only a little bit of  
the surrounding area was frozen.  
  
Then a new creature appeared above them, above all of the trees. As it  
descended, any parts of the trees that touched it turned black and either  
dissolved into dust or fell to the ground or both. It was about twelve feet  
tall. The top half was a body, four arms and a head. The lower half was a  
swirling mass of hundreds of tentacles. It was a pale green. It landed to  
their side. "FREEZE!" A beam shot out of Sailor Mercury's finger and froze a  
tentacle. The thing just shattered its own tentacle. Then it touched a tree  
resulting in the tree turning black, and it grew a new tentacle.  
"Mercury Polar Ice Sheet FREEZE!" When the wave of ice reached the creature  
it just disappeared.  
  
"No! Where did it go?" cried Minako. Ami dodged a tentacle being shot at  
her.  
  
"It must have been absorbed." She was able to dodge a few more before one  
grabbed her. Haiku was able to chop off a few tentacles before one grabbed  
her. Minako attempted to run away without success. The creature began  
draining their energy. Ami's transformation reversed. It seemed like there  
was no escape.  
  
"BLAZE!" A beam shot out of some of the trees and shot right through all  
three tentacles. The stubs remaining caught on fire and burned up. Haiku  
looked towards where the beam came from but saw nothing. Then, when another  
shot came she saw it. It was from some person crouched down at the edge of the  
clearing. The colour of their clothes allowed them to blend in with the plants. "BLAZE!" The next shot  
blew a hole through the creature's chest. It screamed in pain. The person  
ran out of the forest and grabbed Haiku's hand. "Come on. We've got to get  
out of here." Haiku saw that it was a girl about 17 or 18 years old. She  
turned around and took one more shot at the creature. This time she shot a  
hole through its head.  
  
She pulled Haiku into the forest and Minako and Ami followed. Haiku was able  
to get a good look at her now. She was wearing a suit that was the same  
colour as the leaves of the bushes around them. She had black hair that was  
done up in two ponytails near the top of her head. Then the two ponytails  
had their ends going back up through her hairbands up and then hanging down  
so that each one was a loop and then the end of the hair. It seemed like a  
good way to keep long hair from getting in the way and getting caught on  
things. She was also wearing a hankerchief over it the same colour as her  
suit. "What was that?"  
  
"It was a Nega-Essence. It drains life energy. It's practically impossible  
to kill and can adapt to absorb all different kinds of energy. The blood  
hounds are its scouts."  
  
"Where are we going?" The girl looked back at Haiku and Haiku saw that she  
was terrified.  
  
"Run. Run and hope that it doesn't regenerate fast enough to chase us." This  
girl must have faced this creature before.  
  
"I think it has given up on us," Ami called from the back. Haiku had to stop  
and pull to get the young woman to stop. "Thanks for saving us. What's your  
name?"  
  
"My ...name? I don't remember what my name is. Everyone calls me Miki though."  
  
"Why don't you remember?"  
  
"After the cataclysm,"  
  
Haiku turned to the other two. "There's a name for it, cataclysm."  
  
"I lost my memory of everything that ever happened to me. All I know is  
what's happened to me since. Which is not very much I'll tell ya."  
  
"Why, what happened to you?"  
  
"Well, I don't usually talk to strangers but I feel I can trust you. After  
that fateful day I found myself wandering in these forests. I didn't know  
who I was, or where I was. The only thing I had that was a clue to who I was  
was this." She held up a red stick that fit in her hand with just a  
transparent red 3d block circle on the top. "I came across some other people  
and we lived together here for about two months. That's when HE showed up.  
He just waltzed up to us one day and said that now we all belonged to him.  
He made a fortress temple appear in the middle of the fortress and said that  
we were all now servants to him. Of course, we could do nothing to stop him.  
Any who stood against him were killed by his death knights. If he didn't  
have them we might have had a chance to fight back him. None of us have  
weapons so we're no match for their blades. Someone killed one of the  
knights though, a while back, and his life ended there. All HE did was make  
another knight appear. Right out of nothing. He must have an endless supply.  
And that's just about my life story. He calls us great servants but we're  
nothing more than slaves. He calls himself the Lord protector of the Forests  
of Toria. We're just allowed to leave the temple to hunt for him, and if we  
don't bring back anything we get punished."  
  
"You're a slave? That's awful."  
  
"Yeah, it is. But I hope someday I'll get my memory back and be free again.  
But until then... When I came across you guys I somehow recognized Sailor  
Mercury and helping you seemed like the right thing to do."  
  
"But how did you-"  
  
"Shoot beams at that creature? I'm not completely sure; I used this." She  
held up the stick she showed them earlier. "Since it's my only clue to what  
my life was like and practically my only belonging I always keep it with me.  
When I decided that I was going to help you, the knowledge of how to use it  
in that way just came to me. I ju-" The young woman suddenly crumbled to the  
ground in pain and a collar around her neck started to glow. It went on for  
about a minute. The three senshi gathered around the young woman. When the  
collar stopped glowing it looked like she would be all right.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ami asked her, "What happened?"  
  
"I... I've been gone for too long. My master wants me back with his dinner.  
He gives me pain with this collar. I have to go." In a flash she was up and  
she running into the forest. Haiku handed Minako a small crystal block that  
was shaped like a three-sided pyramid.  
  
"Go Minako. Follow her, and we'll follow you with this. When you reach this  
temple she was talking about wait for us. One person can travel a lot faster  
than three through this forest and we don't want to loose this girl." With  
that, Minako was off in the direction that the woman went. Ami turned to  
Haiku.  
  
"So what do you think?"  
  
"I think that I need to sit down."  
  
"Okay, that would be a good start." Haiku and Ami sat down. "Now what do you  
think about HER?" Ami asked.  
  
"Well, she's obviously Rei, but all of her power she somehow locked into her  
transformation want. That's where the energy blasts came from. From what I  
can tell she's right on the verge of regaining her powers and her memory and  
if she is exposed to the right things she might remember everthing." Ami  
just nodded. The two of them just sat there for a minute, regaining their  
strength. "You know," Haiku started, "You look different sitting there  
without a book in your hands..."  
  
"Yeah well, books are something that are pretty hard to get a hold of. And  
its not as if I'm going to be a doctor or anything anymore. There's just one  
thing I can't figure out."  
  
"Mmm Hmm, what's that?"  
  
"Who you are. Your age doesn't give me any clues to who you were."  
  
"Well," Haiku stood up to leave and held a hand out to Ami. "You're just  
going to have to keep on guessing. My identity will be revealed when it's  
time." Haiku replied as she pulled Ami up to her feet. "Now come on. Minako  
went this way.  
  
Rei was not the easiest person to follow. She moved through the woods  
leaving practically no trail. Most of the time Minako was running blindly  
and only occasionally caught glimpses of her. Of course, it hadn't occurred  
to her yet that it was Rei she was following. After about 20 minutes of hard  
running she came to a clearing and stopped at the edge of the forest. She  
just saw the woman running through some gates. She caught a quick glimpse of  
the insides and it was just as the woman had said, that there was a temple  
inside. Of course it was only a quick look and then the gates were closed.  
She decided to scout the borders of the fortress.  
  
It wasn't until over an hour later when Haiku and Ami showed up. They didn't  
look so good. Then again, neither did Minako. They all needed to rest badly,  
mostly because of the energy drain they experienced. They walked about a  
quarter of a mile away from the fortress and found a part of the forest,  
that looked like every other part of the forest. So they decided that they  
might as well set up camp. Haiku pulled a pendant out of wherever she had  
all of her gadgets and set it on the ground. She pressed down the top of the  
pendant and a dome appeared over their heads. "Nice dome shelter," Minako  
commented.  
  
"It's not a dome," smiled Haiku. "It's a sphere, made of pure energy. Keeps  
us in and everything else out. They pulled out of their packs their pathetic  
little bedrolls that they had put together back at Ami's house and set them  
up. "So Minako, what can you tell us about the fortress that we've come to?"  
  
"Well, there's not a whole lot to tell. All we can basically get at is a  
great big wall. The wall runs all the way around the temple with the only  
entrance at the clearing at the front. In three other places there were  
outlines where doors could have been, but they looked like they were only able to be  
opened from the inside. Unlike the clearing where the entrance is,  
the rest of the fortress is in the forest. Over the top of the enclosure is  
something similar to the shelter we have here. It keeps any dangers of the  
forest, out. And that's about it."  
  
"Good job Minako, now let's get some sleep before we drop dead." She  
received no protests.  
  
When Minako woke up it was about the middle of the afternoon. Haiku and Ami  
were still sleeping so she ate some of the little food she had. Haiku and  
Ami didn't wake up until that evening. "It's about time you guys woke up."  
Minako commented. "You slept the day away."  
  
"Probably more that that," Haiku said. "Ami, check the clock on your  
computer." Ami made her computer appear in her hand.  
  
"You're right. We slept for almost 3 days!"  
  
"I expected that much. We did after all get our energy drained from a  
creature made up of negative energy. I expected it would take longer. Let's  
see what we have for dinner." Haiku pressed the top of the pendant that was  
forming the dome above them around them and the dome disappeared. There were  
at least 5 dead creatures lying around the edge of where the dome would have  
ended. Haiku grabbed what resembled a rabbit and restored the dome. "It  
would be really helpful to have some Mars fire right about now. Here." She  
tossed Minako and Ami the rabbit. "You have until it starts to get dark to  
have this cooked. I'm going to go examine the shield guarding the fortress.  
We'll move in on it when it's dark.  
  
As Haiku left the camp she grabbed three of the animals by the side of the  
dome and walked off in the direction of the fortress. Haiku thought.   
  
When Haiku reached the clearing she circled around it until she found a tree  
that was beside the wall of the fortress. Leaving two of the animals on the  
ground she climbed the tree until she was next to the shield. She laid the  
animal on a branch beside herself and reached into a pocket. She pulled out  
a black box that fit in her palm. It was a perfect cube. She pressed certain  
places on it and it split into two, then put the two pieces back together in  
a T shape. Then, holding the top part of the T she put the long end through  
the shield up to the top of the I. On the top of the T, the part of it she  
could see, some controls lit up. There was a screen and a bunch of little  
buttons. Immediately many numbers came up on the screen, but the largest was  
one that said '100%'. That was the one that Haiku was paying attention to.  
  
She took the animal, tied a rope to it, and tossed it onto the field. It was  
being shocked with so much energy that it was glowing. The 100% was  
gradually dropping, and in about a minute or so was at 0%. If Haiku hadn't  
been holding on to the T it probably would have fallen through. But it only  
stayed there for about three seconds and then it started climbing again.  
This time it went all the way up to 200%. The energy was so great that the  
animal disintegrated. Haiku pulled out the T and climbed down the tree. She  
picked up the animals and continued along the wall until she reached another  
tree next to it and climbed it. The reading was the same. It was still at  
200%. So she decided to go to the original tree she was in. She climbed back  
up and hung the dead animals from a really high branch. She sat down and got  
comfortable and waited. It took about two hours but the shield did what she  
was hoping it would do. The number returned to 100%.  
  
Enlightened, Haiku jumped down from the tree and started running back to  
where the others hopefully had dinner ready. Suddenly something jabbed into  
her back and she was forced to the ground. She sent a thread of magic  
running down her back and whatever it was was thown away from her. She swung up to find  
a wolf staring back at her. She pulled out her sword. The next time the wolf  
dove at her it found its head lying on the ground at her feet. But that  
didn't stop it. It didn't stop moving until she had chopped all of its legs  
off and hacked them to pieces. Haiku wiped her sword off on the ground and  
stumbled off into the forest with blood running down her back.  
  
When she reached the dome she could barely see where she was going and the  
dome was very easy to miss. As soon as she had passed through the shield she  
collapsed. "Haiku, what took you so long?" asked Minako. "We're almost done  
cooking the food. Haiku? Haiku?" Minako walked over to Haiku with a lighted  
stick. "Oh my, you're bleeding." Minako knelt down and shook Haiku. "Haiku?  
Haiku? Are you awake? Ami, come help me. I think Haiku's unconscious."  
Together, Ami and Minako moved Haiku into the center of the dome near the  
fire. They removed her tunic and used the most of what little water they had  
to clean Haiku's wounds. Fortunately, there were only two cuts and they  
weren't that deep. In a short while Haiku regained consciousness. Before she  
could say anything Ami was handing her food and telling her to eat it. The  
food was really good.  
  
"Excellent job on the meat," Haiku managed. No one spoke much until the meal  
was done. "Now, I have a plan to get into the fortress.  
  
"But you need to rest, Haiku. You're in no shape to move about a lot. We can  
go tomorrow night." Cut in Ami.  
  
"How?" Haiku reasoned. "We don't have the supplies to survive through  
another day. We have no idea where the nearest water supply is. We have to  
leave here and try to enter that fortress in about an hour."  
  
"All right. What's your plan?"  
  
**********  
  
This episode is divided into a two-parter ^^ 


	6. Episode 5: Fight for Freedom

World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 5 'Fight for Freedom'  
  
"What's your plan?"  
  
"Well, we're going to have to enter the fortress from three different points  
because of the little time we'll have, and the lesser chance of being  
detected. When the shield starts to fade you'll have to place something on  
it and when the object falls through you'll have to follow it as fast as you  
can. Minako, you'll have to round up as many people as you can and get them  
to help. I'll go for whatever controls the shield. Ami, we're going to need  
a diversion to draw the master out of the temple. As soon as Minako and I  
are done we'll come join you. Any questions?"  
  
"I guess it could work...." Minako trailed off.  
  
"Off the topic for a moment; Haiku, how did you pass through this field  
we're in? We didn't turn it off for you or anything." Ami asked. Haiku  
smiled.  
  
"It's my shield, therefore fine tuned to my aura. Anything else that touches  
it isn't recognized. I don't know how it works. It's one of the many things  
I was given by Resistance.  
  
"Come on," Minako urged. "It's going to take us a while to find three  
different trees that are next to the fortress. Let's go!" They cleaned up  
their site and dropped the shield. It was practically pitch black. Haiku  
formed a flame in her hand, and Minako strung her bow.  
  
"Follow me," Haiku whispered as she led them in a large arc towards the  
fortress in order to not go anywhere near the main entrance. It took a while  
but eventually they reached a wall. "You two follow the wall to the left. I  
left the equipment that I need at a tree to the right, a short ways away  
from here. Ami, when you're ready send a ball of light across the top of the  
fortress. Don't transform until you need to. It could increase the time of  
your diversion. Take this with you." Haiku handed Ami a small package with a  
string coming out of the top of it.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"It's an explosive. Find something to blow up near the front of the  
fortress. It should get someone's attention. Mina, when you're ready send  
the yellow arrow up above the fortress. Try to make it land as close to the  
middle as you can. Okay? And be careful. As I've already found out, we don't  
know what lurks out here at night. Haiku drew her sword and vanished into  
the dark, her light now gone.  
  
"Ami, could you help me find a yellow arrow in this darkness?"  
  
"Certainly."  
  
********  
  
It didn't take long for Haiku to reach her tree. When she was in a good  
position to see the others' signs she took a white crystal out of a hidden  
pocket. Just by holding it she could feel it focusing her energy. She used  
some of that energy to close the cuts on her back. Every time she had moved  
beforehand it had hurt. She knew there was no way she could have done  
anything without healing it. A sudden wave of dizziness overtook her for a  
second and she almost missed Ami's signal. Shortly after that she saw  
Minako's signal. Time to take action. She stuck the T into the shield. Then  
she grabbed one of the animals that were now hanging in the tree and tossed  
it onto the shield. When the number reached zero she jumped and dropped the  
10 or so feet to the ground. Quickly and silently, she hid behind the  
nearest tree. Although it was black outside there was a slight amount of  
light coming from the dome above. It was enough light to see where one was  
going but someone could easily hide in the shadows. Passing late-night  
walkers and guards she carefully wove her way to the temple.  
  
********  
  
Ami landed near the back of the complex. It was far from where she was going  
but took her time to get to the front.  
  
********  
  
Minako landed on a couple of young girls. She had to cover their mouths to  
keep them from screaming. "Don't make any noise please. I've come to help."  
  
"W-what do you want with us?"  
  
"I need you to gather as many people as you can into the front yard. Also,  
find whatever you can in the way of weapons. The rest will be taken care of  
in the yard. Can you do that for me?"  
  
"Well uhh, why do you want to do this?"  
  
"Are you happy with the way your living?"  
  
"All right we'll do it." The two girls hurried off towards the temple. The  
place consisted of a temple in the middle, two buildings off to the sides  
and another one behind. There was a great big yard out front with a statue  
of the master in it and various other things. All around the outside walls  
were trees. The temple was very small, not even close to the size of Rei's  
temple. Minako went up to the side building she was closest to.  
  
********  
  
When Ami reached the front she walked right out into the open. A few people  
stopped to stare at her. There was a statue near the front gate so she went  
over to it and set the package on it. She pulled the string and ran for the  
shelter of some trees. The package blew the statue up sending a shower of  
rock all over the place. Ami walked back out to the statue, crossed her arms  
and faced the temple. Her work was done for now.  
  
********  
  
Haiku had crept right up next to the entrance of the temple when Ami saw  
her. Haiku saw the blast and decided that the package had worked better than  
she thought. Haiku gave her a thumbs up. They waited for about a minute and  
then a crowd of people burst out of the temple led by a couple of young  
girls. The crowd moved off to the sides of the clearing, but the two girls  
ran off. Haiku figured that they had been talking to Minako.  
  
********  
  
Minako walked right up to the building and opened the door. Inside there  
were groups of people huddled together. There were some who were sleeping.  
She wasn't noticed until she had stepped into the middle of the room. She  
was approached by a man from her side. "Who are you?" he demanded.  
  
"My name is Minako and I've come to set you all free from your master."  
  
"Forget it," someone else in the room said. "It cannot be done. He's too  
powerful."  
  
"Then we're just going to have to try won't we. Right now one of my friends  
is blowing up the statue out front." There were some gasps from around the  
room. Minako continued before anyone could speak. "I need all of the people  
who live here gathered up. If we all stand together we can win. But first I  
need you to gather all of your people and go to the front yard with whatever  
you can gather for weapons. I already have people getting everyone who is in  
the temple, out of it. So do you want to help me or do you like the way you  
are living."  
  
The original man who spoke to her talked again. "Please go outside and wait  
while we discuss what we will do." Minako stepped outside to see the statue  
blow up. Her job was done for now.  
  
********  
  
A man dressed in robes stepped out of the temple and looked directly at Ami.  
"Who disrupts my slumber?"  
  
"I do!" Ami called. "Mercury Eternal, UNITE!" A few seconds later Sailor  
Mercury stood there. The man in robes started to laugh. "All people deserve  
to live their own lives. I'm Pretty Soldier Sailor Mercury and on behalf of  
Mercury I will punish you!"  
  
"Will you eh, all by yourself?"  
  
"No. With us too." They looked to see the man that Minako had spoken to  
earlier. "We've all had enough of being controlled by you." Behind him it  
looked like were just about all of the place's inhabitants.  
  
"Very well then. You're all currently traitors. Knights of Justice attack!"  
He put up his arms and about 50 of his soldiers appeared around everyone.  
  
"Everyone, get down!" Ami called out. Some people hesitated. "Now!" Everyone  
got down and the ones who didn't, got pulled down. "Mercury Polar Ice Sheet  
FREEZE!" This time Sailor Mercury sent her ice wave in all directions. It  
froze all of the soldiers. Before anyone could react she turned to the man  
in robes and held up her finger. "FREEZE!" A beam shot out of her finger  
towards the man. He blocked it with his hands but got knocked down.  
  
Meanwhile, as soon as the master had left the building Haiku had slipped in.  
The temple consisted of two rooms. A main room and some quarters. Haiku  
couldn't find what she was looking for so she started sending balls of  
energy flying throughout the main room. One ball hit an altar and the altar  
vanished. Below it Haiku followed some stairs leading underground. Here she  
found a futuristic control room. Already having intermediate knowledge of  
how all of this equipment operated she quickly got to work. The exterior  
dome shield was shut off in a second. She also increased all lights to  
maximum and disabled all security functions. Then she ran outside to help  
her friends. She was in time to see Sailor Mercury blast the master.  
  
They could now see up into the night sky. Haiku ran over to Sailor Mercury.  
"So you disabled the shield guarding my fortress did you? For that I'm going  
to have to thank you."  
  
"What....."  
  
"Ha ha ha. Did you actually think that I would stay here when there's a  
whole world to conquer? I was imprisoned here by the Creator. It decided  
that it didn't want me killing everyone. That shield was the only thing that  
was keeping me here. And my new order will start with the destruction of  
everyone here. Now face my true form. Ha ha ha ha ....." The man started to  
grow. Only he wasn't a man anymore. His skin turned to scales as he changed  
into a dragon. But he didn't stop there. He kept on growing until he was  
about 15 feet tall. His giant wings shadowed everyone. "Now face me! I am  
Gragon the chaos dragon of fire!"  
  
"Mercury, Ice Shield." A dome of ice formed around all of the people there.  
  
"Your pathetic ice cannot stop me." Gragon started shooting fireballs at the  
ice shield. It didn't take long for him to melt it away.  
  
"Mercury Polar Ice Sheet, FREEZE!" This time she directed all of the energy  
into one single beam. The beam shot towards Gragon at an incredible speed  
but Gragon already had his hands up and shot a beam from them. The two beams  
met in between them. At first it seemed like they were evenly matched but  
then Gragon's started to overpower Sailor Mercury's. Minako came up behind  
Haiku.  
  
"Can she handle it?" Minako asked.  
  
"No." Haiku answered. She turned around to Minako. "We need Sailor Mars. I  
don't care what you do, but we need Sailor Mars." Minako took off into the  
crowd of people. Haiku came up beside Sailor Mercury who was now on her  
knees. Haiku swung threads of magic around herself and shot a beam from her  
hands to meet Gragon's. Together, they managed to force the beam back in  
between Gragon and themselves but that was all.  
  
Minako hurried through the crowd of people who were scared out of their  
wits. She found Rei near the back of the group and grabbed her hand. "Come  
on Rei, we need your help." Rei didn't move.  
  
"You're one of those people that I saved earlier aren't you? What did you  
call me?"  
  
"Come on there's no time." Minako gave a good yank and pulled Rei back  
through the group.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" Minako pulled Rei in between the crowd of people  
and the raging battle. Rei tried to run back but Minako held her tightly.  
  
"You have to use your power to help them."  
  
"NO. Then everyone will think I'm some kind of witch or something."  
  
"You're not a witch! You're one of us. You're Sailor Mars. Come on, you have  
to remember."  
  
" ....... "  
  
"Remember the times we spent at the temple making plans. Remember Darien and  
that crazy rock guy who came to work at your temple.. Remember your  
grandfather. And ...and there's no way you could have forgotten all of the  
arguments you had with Usagi. Please remember!" Rei thought this woman had  
just about lost it when it all came back to her. She pulled out her  
transformation stick and the symbol of mars appeared inside the circle part  
of it. A six pointed star grew out around the circle. Now it looked like  
Ami's only it was red instead of blue.  
  
"I remember Mina. I remember it all now!" Her heart leapt in joy. "Mars  
Eternal, UNITE!" Rei transformed into Sailor Mars only when it was done her  
skirt and her collar went white. Then like Sailor Mercury, three lines  
appeared across the bottom of her skirt and on her collar, and she got two  
red bracelets. A red ribbon falling down from her choker to the bottom of  
her skirt, (Although most of it is hidden by her hair) and two more from the  
sides of the top of her skirt just stopping before they touched the ground.  
A transparent violet bow on her back that had the bottom parts almost  
touching the ground and the top about half that length. She had clear cuffs  
at the shoulders of her fuku (like super sm). Her high heel shoes went white  
and the symbol of Mars was on them. The center of her front and back bows  
turned from circles into six-pointed stars. It ended with the symbol of Mars  
appearing in place of her tiara. She came up beside Sailor Mercury and  
pulled out one of those pieces of paper that she seems to have an endless  
supply of. "I call upon the power of Mars, dispose of this evil monster!"  
She sent the piece of paper into the raging battle of energies, but strangely, it wasn't destroyed.  
  
Sailor Mars held a hand up. "Mars," She spun around in a circle and fire  
flamed all around herself while she said "Flaming," She held up both of her  
hands in front of her at once and the flames focused towards them.  
"Inferno,"(At this point the flames were so strong that Sailor Mars couldn't  
be seen). "BLAZE!!!" All of the fire energy gathered into her hands and she  
shot a beam into the other three. Now, with their combined power they were  
able to force back Gragon's energy power. When it got close to Gragon it  
slowed down because Haiku and Sailor Mercury were getting tired. This was  
when Gragon noticed Sailor Mars. He looked at her.  
  
"And who do you think you are?" he said.  
  
"I'm Eternal Sailor Mars! You've tortured me and these other people long  
enough. On behalf of Mars, I banish you! BURN IN H**L!!!" Sailor Mars' beam  
grew wider and stronger and Gragon was easily overpowered. When her beam  
touched him he caught on fire. The fire quickly spread throughout his entire  
body. In about a minute there was nothing left of him. All except for a  
single scale which fell down to Sailor Mars. For a second no one moved. Then  
Minako ran up and hugged Sailor Mars.  
  
"You did it! Way to go. I knew you could do it."  
  
"Yes. Welcome back Sailor Mars," Sailor Mercury said as she and Mars  
embraced. Sailor Mercury powered down and Sailor Mars followed her lead. All  
of the other people by now were realizing that they were no longer in danger  
anymore and began wandering about. Rei turned to them.  
  
"We're all free again," she cried. "You can rebuild this place the way you  
want to." Haiku walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Welcome back to the Senshi, Rei. My name is Haiku, and my mission is to  
gather all of the senshi together again. I'll explain better later." She  
turned to Ami and Minako. "Will you two go get our stuff? Just follow the  
outside wall to the right. I'm going to restore the shield. We'll spend the  
night in the temple."  
  
"Haiku," Rei asked as she followed Haiku into the temple, "Why didn't Minako  
transform?"  
  
"She ...hasn't regained her power yet. I think there has to be a special  
desire for a senshi to recover their powers in this world. Even if she had  
transformed she wouldn't have had the power to help us win. Only through  
your hate for Gragon and the power of fire were we able to win." Haiku went  
into the temple and restored the shield.  
  
The next day the villagers eagerly helped the senshi prepare their packs.  
Haiku showed a few of the villagers how to control the shield and other  
things that kept the fortress functioning. Rei wrapped up loose ends. The  
next day after that they set off. Rei insisted on not wearing what the  
others were wearing but instead something of her own. She wore dark green  
pants, a red shirt and a green coat. She said that she didn't need a cloak.  
Instead of wearing her hair long like Sailor Mars, She kept her hair in her  
double ponytail loops.  
  
But before Haiku left she spoke her message to the people. "If you crave the  
old times, or something better, meet your destiny at The Gathering. If your  
cause is true, when the sky turns green, you will find your way to Crescent  
Island."  
  
********** 


	7. Episode 6: City Escape

**********  
  
Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 6 'City Escape'  
  
Rei knew the forests well so she, Minako, Ami, and Haiku didn't have much  
trouble finding their way to the Command City of the region. "So what do you  
plan on doing once you reach the city?" Rei asked Haiku.  
  
Haiku pushed a branch away from the side of the trail and brushed her long  
pink hair back, out of her face. "We're going to have to find out which  
regions ships go to from here and then pick one."  
  
Rei grinned. "Not until we visit Tomoe Labs."  
  
"Tomoe? ....as in Hotaru's father?"  
  
"Until I regained my memory the name meant nothing to me. Seems he oversees  
and has a say in just about anything to do with the production of anything  
and the creation of new technology. What exactly he does I'm not sure."  
  
"And he's been doing this for how long?"  
  
"Just about ever since the end of the darkness."  
  
"And if Hotaru is with him I can only imagine how her powers have evolved."  
  
"But," Ami reminded her. "Sailor Saturn died on that day. Yes, she said she  
would be reborn, but she also said that Sailor Saturn wouldn't return until  
she was needed. We have no idea whether she is there or how old she is. She  
might not have even returned to her father."  
  
"We can only hope."  
  
It would have taken about two days to reach the city, following the main  
paths. They had more of a chance of being attacked on the path so they  
travelled through the thick brush. It took them double the time. They  
encountered the blood hounds a couple of times but it was just hit and run,  
as they didn't want another run-in with the Nega-Essence. They could find a  
way to defeat it another time.  
  
Rei led them right up to the main entrance. "So how are we going to get  
passed the guards?" Minako asked.  
  
Rei was puzzled. "What do you mean? There aren't any guards. Should there  
be?"  
  
"Yeah. In Kaipo there was. And we almost got caught!"  
  
"Well here there isn't."  
  
"You mean we can walk right into the place?" asked Minako.  
  
"Minako," Haiku explained, "Kaipo Command City is the most technologically  
advanced city. Also it was right after Ami's little light show that we  
entered the city. That's probably why there were guards."  
  
They entered the city without any trouble. On each side of the street there  
were various stores. Ami stopped to look at an announcement board. "Oh no!"  
she cried. "We're in trouble now. We have to get out of here. Look." Ami  
pointed to a certain posting. It was a wanted sign for killer assassins,  
only it showed a picture of Haiku, Ami, and Minako.  
  
"Oh my, it's them!" a woman cried. "Help, HELP!" People were starting to  
stop and look at them.  
  
"We have to hide." Haiku exclaimed. She pushed everyone else ahead. "Hurry,  
run." They started down the street. Most of the people they passed didn't  
see why they were running. Then the enforcer droids began to gain on them  
from behind. Rei led them through an alley and onto another street. Then,  
before the droids came through the alley after them she went through another  
alley back on to another street. Here she slowed to a walk.  
  
"Try not to draw any attention." Rei warned. She led them down the street  
farther to a clothing store and went in. "You guys need a new outfit."  
  
They spent the next couple of hours trying on clothes. Rei said that she was  
happy with the clothes she was wearing. Ami bought some navy blue overalls  
and a light blue coat that went down passed her thighs. Minako bought a red  
skirt, a yellow t-shirt and an orange sweater. Haiku bought some purple  
pants, a red long sleeved shirt, and a pink jacket that went to her waist.  
Rei got a green and red pack as she didn't have one. They also bought  
waterproof suits for when they were going to be aboard a ship. Haiku paid  
for all of this with a card Resistance had given to her. Now, all people  
living in the cities used cards to deal their money instead of paper and  
coins. The cards they used were called tabasts. The card that Haiku had  
owned belonged to an almost endless amount of money, plus it alerted  
Resistance to where she was.  
  
"All right!" exclaimed Minako. "Now we look like everybody else." Amy bought  
a pair of glasses and Haiku got some sunglasses, just to make it so there  
was an even less chance of being recognized.  
  
"Do you know where Tomoe labs are Rei?"  
  
"Yes. Follow me." Tomoe Lab's wasn't far from where they were. After they  
had gone through the sliding glass doors they found themselves in a small  
office. Haiku walked up to the secretary who didn't even look up.  
  
"Excuse me miss, could we see Professor Tomoe please."  
  
The secretary looked up at them over her glasses and gave them a look that  
asked if they were stupid or something. "The Professor is a very busy man.  
Do you have an appointment?" Haiku was about to say something when Rei  
pushed in front of her.  
  
"Of course we do! Dr. Tomoe has been waiting for us for weeks." The  
secretary opened a book and started flipping through the pages, but Rei just  
knocked it aside. "I don't like to wait!" she exclaimed. "If you don't hurry  
up and get us in a meeting with Professor Tomoe we'll have to leave. We have  
a very busy schedule and the next time we can come is so far away you'll  
probably get fired for letting us go!"  
  
"Well, I, uh," the woman was clearly very confused.  
  
Rei turned around and started walking towards the exit. "Come on guys, she  
obviously doesn't like her job."  
  
Very quickly the woman leaped her desk and grabbed Rei's arm. "Please come  
this way."  
  
"Well that's better." The secretary led them into a hallway, and them into a  
meeting room.  
  
"The professor must have forgotten. I'll go get him now." The woman hurried  
out of the room. Rei sat down at the head of the table and put her feet on  
the table. She kissed her fingers.  
  
"Still got it."  
  
Minako sat down beside her. "You go girl."  
  
"Just had to pretend she was Usagi." Ami and Haiku sat down. A few minutes  
later Prof. Tomoe came in and sat down at the table.  
  
"This had better be good. I'm in the middle of a very important experiment."  
He didn't recognize them.  
  
"How is Hotaru?" Haiku asked. "Was she reborn?"  
  
"You ...you're some of the sailor senshi?"  
  
"That's right. We were just passing through and we were wondering how Hotaru  
is, if she was here."  
  
"Yes well, she is quite the kid. After the darkness ended I just found her  
with me. She was about a year old. But even now her aging is screwed up and  
now she's a little over three years old. Not much help to you now. Is there  
anything else I can do for you? I'm very busy."  
  
Ami spoke up. "Why are you working in so close relation with the Creator?"  
  
He smiled. "Easy, the closer I get to the creator the more trust I earn and  
the more secrets on their technology I learn. When my luck runs out I'll  
just go join Resistance. Now, what do you plan on doing now?"  
  
"Can you direct us to were we can get on a ship?"  
  
"Well, headquarters is just down the street. Tickets should be available  
there."  
  
"Well, thanks for your time." They left the room and walked out of the  
building. There were a few droids coming down the street. They quickly faded  
into the rest of the crowd and separately made their way to their  
destination. It was a very expensive building with most of the walls made of  
glass. Haiku arrived last and led them into the building. It was gigantic.  
All trades were managed there. There were people everywhere. They followed  
the signs to a booth that said 'passenger transport'.  
  
The clerk was an elderly man who looked overworked. "What do you want?"  
  
Haiku was in line while the others were all waiting in some chairs against a  
wall. "What are the soonest departures?"  
  
The clerk gave her a tired look. "Can't you read the infoscreens? I don't  
have time for this."  
  
"Oh, ah, I'm sorry I'm not from around here."  
  
"Our only passenger ship that hasn't left is going to Kaipo in an hour. And  
unless you leave right now by train you won't be able to reach it before it  
leaves. How many people will that be for the boat and the train?"  
  
"No. Not Kaipo. Isn't there any going to Akfzo?"  
  
"The ship for Akfzo left a couple of days ago. If you're not going to Kaipo  
please move on."  
  
"What about freighter ships. Are there any ships going there?"  
  
"Sorry. Only passenger ships can take passengers."  
  
"I'll deal with that. Are there any?"  
  
The man gave a grunt. "Hope you can pay the price." He checked a table  
console in front of him. "The last freighter going to Akfzo in the next two  
weeks will be leaving Sheary harbour in half an hour. Unless you're very  
important I can't see them waiting for you."  
  
Haiku pulled out her tabast and slid it through a track on the wall. The  
clerk gasped at the amount of money Haiku typed in. "I think I can see them  
waiting. How about you?"  
  
"Well, there's some really important luggage that needs to go there so I  
think I can hold them for an hour on top of that. How many will that be?"  
  
"Four please."  
  
"Only four! I mean of course; here you are." He handed her four tickets.  
"I'm not sure you'll be able to make it to the next train in time though."  
  
Haiku was about to slide her card along the track again when she was pulled  
away from the line. She almost dropped the tickets. It was Professor Tomoe.  
"You have to hurry," he said to her and the other three girls. "The droids  
are coming for you. Follow me. He led them through an 'employees only' door  
past a couple of confused security guards. He led them down a hallway and  
through another door which led out on to the street.  
  
"But we have to go to Sheary Harbour," Haiku told him.  
  
"And you will. But first we have to get away from those droids." Prof. Tomoe  
led them back and forth through alleys and the street back to Tomoe labs and  
through a side door. He led them deep into the building until they reached  
an elevator. They went down five levels to a tunnel. In front of them was a  
cart. "This is what we use to transport equipment to and from the harbours."  
He made them all get into the cart. Then he went over and pressed a few  
buttons and switches on a computer terminal. "I have it set to send you to  
Sheary."  
  
"But what about you? Won't you get in trouble?"  
  
"I'll cover your escape. I'm too important to the city for anything to  
happen to me. Now go!" He hit a switch and the cart sped off down the  
tunnel. The girls grabbed on to whatever they could get a hold of. The cart  
turned so many times that there was no way they could have found their way  
back. Then they entered a straight path. They would continue that way until  
the end. After about a minute a giant robot appeared where the straightaway  
part had started and was gaining on them fast.  
  
Rei noticed it first. "Hey there's something following us!"  
  
Haiku took a quick look. "It's a gerdroid. Can you transform?"  
  
"No. We're moving too fast."  
  
"Then, ...Ami, come help me weave a spell. Haiku gathered strands of magic  
around herself as did Ami. Haiku used Ami's help to weave together a  
powerful blast. "We need to send it into the roof of the tunnel," Haiku  
explained. Ami nodded. The gerdroid was almost upon them. Together they  
released the magic straight up into the tunnel and at that point the tunnel  
colasped right on top of the gerdroid. The explosion shook the ground.  
"There we go. No one can follow us now."  
  
In about half an hour they reached the end of the tunnel. The cart stopped  
right in front of the dock. It was pretty big, but there was only one ship  
there. They jumped out of the cart and walked over to the ship.  
  
One of the sailors was on the dock. He placed a hand to his brow to keep the  
sun from his eyes. "Have you pretty ladies come to bid us a good journey?"  
  
"Yes, and to join you."  
  
"Ha! Yah right."  
  
"Here's our tickets." Haiku held it out for him to see as she passed him and  
led the others across a plank to the deck of the ship. She threw the tickets  
overboard. They passed quite a few wide-mouthed sailors who were surprised  
to see them on the ship. She knocked on the door of the captain's cabin.  
  
A gruff voice sounded from the inside of the cabin. "Yes who is it. Please  
come in." He was facing away from them looking out a window, across the  
ocean. As he turned around he said, "Yes, what can I do for you- huh? Who  
are you?"  
  
"Hello captain. We need passage to Akfzo, so we would like to request to  
join your crew. Ami can cook, Rei can help with the sails, and Minako and I  
will help keep the ship relatively clean and tend to other matters that need  
to be done."  
  
The captain leaned forward in his chair. "And if I say no?"  
  
"Then you'll have to use force to get us out of here," she smiled at him.  
"And by the time you've removed us from your ship your crew will be so small  
that you'll have to ask us to be on your crew to get your ship out of here.  
I assure you, at the end of our journey you will be paid very, very well. I  
know some very rich people."  
  
"Well... I can see that you're very determined. I never could say no to a  
lady. If you're prepared for a three week trip then welcome aboard!" He held  
his hand out to her and she took it. "I take it you're the ones responsible  
for keeping us here this late." The captain stepped out on to the deck with  
them. "ALL ABOARD! HOIST THE ANCHOR! GET US OUT OF HERE!" he yelled. He  
pointed to a door for the women. "You can sleep in the my first mate's  
quarters since we won't be picking him up until Akfzo, and there's no one  
else among my crew qualified for the job. It's the first door on the right."  
  
"Thank you," Haiku replied. They went to the room and Minako, Haiku, and Rei  
put on their waterproof clothes. Ami headed towards the kitchens.  
  
"What am I supposed to do?" Rei asked.  
  
"Just climb up to the top of the sails and help the men there in any way you  
can." Rei was up the sail ropes and relaxing before any of the crew got up  
there. Haiku and Minako set off to find some jobs that needed to be done.  
  
Once the crew accepted the women into their ranks things got along well. The  
first week ran quite smoothly. During the eighth night Rei woke up to the  
sound of yelling and the smell of smoke. She jumped out of bed and woke up  
the others. They quickly threw on some clothes and hurried out on to the  
deck. It was bright enough to see what was happening because of a full moon.  
Various parts of the ship were on fire and there were sailors running all  
about trying to put the fire out. The captain was calling out orders. The  
girls ran up to the captain. "What's going on?" Haiku asked him.  
  
"Pirates," he said, "with flaming arrows." If they keep it up we won't be  
able to handle the fire anymore. It just keeps on coming and spreading."  
  
"Don't worry," she yelled out to him over all of the noise. "We'll handle  
it." She turned around and nodded to Ami and Rei who already had their power  
sticks out.  
  
"What-"  
  
"Mercury Eternal, Unite!"  
"Mars Eternal, Unite!" Even though the transformation only lasted a few  
seconds anyone who saw it stopped and stared. In Rei's transformation after  
she was surrounded by rings of fire a wave of fire moved down her body and  
the changes to her uniform appeared.  
  
Sailor Mercury prepared a water attack. "Mercury, Aqua Rhapsody." She shot  
all kinds of streams of water all over the ship and put the fire out.  
  
Meanwhile Sailor Mars turned her focus to the pirate ship that was still  
firing flaming arrows at them. "Ha! If you call that fire .... Mars, Flaming  
Inferno, BLAZE!" Fire leapt from Sailor Mars' hands to the enemy ship,  
setting a large portion of the ship on fire. Haiku grabbed Sailor Mars and  
Minako around their waists and used strands of magic to slingshot themselves  
to the pirate ship. They were immediately attacked. Minako stayed in between  
Haiku and Sailor Mars and fired arrows. Haiku used her sword and Sailor Mars  
just had to say 'blaze' to launch fire from a finger. Very quickly only the  
captain remained. He was facing them from the end of the bow.  
  
"You may have beaten my crew, but the victory will be mine!" He threw his  
hands into the air "Death Serpent ARISE!" Behind the captain, in front of  
the ship a giant serpent arose. It towered over the ship. The captain  
laughed and faded away. Haiku slingshoted themselves back to their own ship  
just before the serpent crashed into the pirate ship. Both sank into the  
water. Haiku grabbed Sailor Mercury and rushed her and the others into their  
room. Sailor Mercury and Mars powered down.  
  
"Hurry, pack all of your things." Haiku said. "We're in extreme danger."  
They all stared at her and then started packing.  
  
"Why are we doing this? Everything sunk down to the bottom of the ocean."  
  
"The serpent will return to take care of this ship after it has devoured the  
souls of all of the pirates. It is a spirit demon so none of our attacks  
will have any effect on it." With this new motivation they were all packed  
in a few minutes. "Tie everything tight," Haiku instructed, "It's going to  
get wet."  
  
Back on deck sailors were cleaning up the mess on deck, checking for serious  
damage and trying to repair their sails. The captain was surprised to see  
the senshi with their packs on. Haiku spoke urgently. "We have to abandon  
ship sir. The sea serpent that attacked the other ship is going to come  
after us."  
  
"Nonsense. The pirates are gone now and we are safe go back to bed and you  
can explain whatever you did tomorrow. I don't think my heart can take it  
right now."  
  
"But-" Suddenly the Death Serpent emerged from the center of the deck. Black  
mist started swirling around the sailors as they began screaming.  
  
"What's happening?" Ami screamed. "And why isn't it affecting us?"  
  
Haiku pulled them towards the edge of the ship. "It's taking their souls.  
Senshi are protected." They climbed into a lifeboat but the boat hit a piece  
of the ship sticking out and it broke in half. The senshi swam to one half  
and drifted away from the sinking ship. Ami and Rei were exhausted from  
using their powers so much. Haiku and Minako held on to them as they drifted  
off to sleep. Haiku tied themselves to the piece of wood so they wouldn't  
fall away and she and Minako fell asleep also. Drifting off into the  
nothingness of the vast ocean ......  
  
********** 


	8. Episode 7: Recovery and Refusal

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 7 'Recovery and Refusal'  
  
I found them when I went for an early morning swim with Sati. They were  
unconscious and tied to the front half of a small boat on the beach. I  
recognized three of them but the forth was a stranger to me. I stayed with  
them while Sati went back for help. I knew why they were here. They were  
going to ask me to become a senshi again. But, I didn't want to anymore; not  
without HER. I couldn't. I cried softly until Sati came back.  
  
There was no sign of them surviving until a few days later. Up until then  
they were close to death so we put them to bed. Our healers couldn't do much  
of anything to help them. Occasionally one would wake up and we'd feed them  
but they were too delirious to answer questions.  
  
In the turn of an hour two of them woke up on the third day. First was  
Minako. It was in the afternoon, a little after lunch. I wasn't there, but I  
had Suka tell me about it. She was there when it happened. She said Minako  
just woke up as she would have from a nice sleep. She tried to speak but the  
women there made her eat first, thinking she wasn't okay yet. After they  
were done she asked where she was, and they told her she was on the Island  
of Dohilne. They told her that she should lay down and go back to sleep, but  
Minako wanted to know where her friends were. After finding that they were  
still unconscious she explained what happened to them.  
  
They were serving on board a cargo ship on its way to Afkzo when they were  
attacked by pirates. Then a sea monster appeared and destroyed both of the  
ships. Suka told Minako that she was lucky to be alive. I didn't say  
anything but I could tell that Minako left out a lot.  
  
Then the woman I didn't recognize woke up next. That was about when I  
arrived for my shift. There were a whole bunch of us who were taking turns  
watching over them. I stood to the side while Minako helped Suka and a  
couple other ladies to feed the girl I didn't know. Minako explained to her  
where they were. "We're on an Island in the middle of the ocean. Ami and Rei  
are still unconscious and so have we been for the last few days."  
  
"When did you wake up?" she asked.  
  
"Less than an hour ago. How do you feel?"  
  
"A lot better than when I was last awake." She turned to Suka. "I'd like to  
thank you and all of you others for taking care of us. My name is Haiku and  
this is my friend Minako. Over there," She pointed to the other two beds,  
"Are Rei, and Ami. Did you recover our packs too? There were some very  
important items in them."  
  
I stepped up to the bed Haiku was sitting on. "Don't worry," I said. "All of  
your belongings that made it here with you are at my house." When Minako saw  
me she got up and gave me a hug.  
  
"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay," she said. Haiku just smiled. Haiku got out of  
her bed, walked over to Rei's bed, and knelt down beside it. She took one of  
Ami's hands and held it in both of hers. Haiku started to glow pink, and Ami  
started to glow a dim blue. Haiku did the same thing with Rei only Rei  
glowed red and a lot dimmer. She turned back to Suka.  
  
"They're still very weak and will take a while to recover."  
  
"How did you do that?" Suka's younger sister, Suki asked. It didn't take  
much to amaze Suki.  
  
Haiku knelt down beside Suki and smiled. "It's an aura. Special people like  
us four have them." She reached out and touched her. Haiku started to glow  
but Suki didn't. "You don't have one," Before I could do anything Haiku  
reached out and touched my hand. "But she does." I started glowing like  
Haiku. I couldn't believe she did that. Couldn't she see that I didn't want  
to be a senshi anymore. I ran out of the building. Tears tried to flood my  
eyes but I forced them away. I ran across the town and into the forest  
beside it. Maybe if I wished hard enough they would go away.  
  
******************  
  
She ran off, out of the building. Haiku wanted her to join them but could  
tell there was something holding her back. She was sure she would find out  
sometime. But right before she ran off Haiku saw fear in her eyes for a  
second. Haiku walked back over to Minako and took her hand. "We're going to  
go for a walk through your wonderful village if you don't mind," Haiku said  
to Suka.  
  
"Sure, go ahead ...." Haiku didn't wait for her to change her mind and  
pulled Minako out of the building.  
  
They were in a small village on an island. The houses were made of wood.  
Suki followed them out in order to explain to them about the village. She  
said that they didn't have any influence from the outside world in order to  
stay safe. All of their materials and food they got from the island they  
were living on or one of the nearby ones. This was one of the end islands in  
a string of them. All that the others contained though was trees.  
  
"After rebirth many people found themselves strung out on these islands, and  
after the darkness all found their way to this place. There are still a few  
who choose to live in the forests away from everyone else, but that is okay  
since there aren't any really dangerous animals except on the last island  
of the string that is quite a ways away from the others, at the other end of  
the string. It is a very dangerous place." Suki showed them the beach  
that they were found on. There were many children swimming and playing on  
the sand. "I don't know how you got all of yourselves to stay tied to that  
board but it kept you alive."  
  
"I know," Haiku said. That was in fact what she had been planning. When they  
had jumped into the water Ami and Rei had lost consciousness. Haiku knew  
there was no way they were going to be okay without being able to recover  
from the drain of energy that they had to undergo to use their powers so  
much. Especially Rei. Maybe with Ami's help Haiku would have been able to  
fix the boat with magic but not by herself. So she tied the four of them to  
the boat and each other with the boat's painter. Then she used magic to  
strengthen it. She used the rest of her magic to make sure that their heads  
stayed above water, whether they were trying to or not. She couldn't really  
recall much that happened after that. Resistance DID know about this island  
but chose to let it be because that's what its residents wished.  
  
It took Haiku and Minako about an hour to loose Suki, so they had to wait  
until then to look for their friend. Haiku knew that she would have left the  
village to be left alone so when they reached the forest at the edge of the  
village Haiku and Minako split up. It wasn't very dense forest and therefore  
easy to move through.  
  
********  
  
I saw her coming long before she saw me. I studied her long pink hair that  
went down to her legs and her red eyes. But I couldn't figure out who she  
was. I felt that her identity was right there in front of me but I couldn't  
grasp it. If I had had my mirror I could have figured it out.. -no! I didn't  
want to return to a senshi's life. The endless war was over -we lost. The  
princess we were sworn to protect was gone. We had been unable to defend the  
solar system. We failed.  
  
I was sitting in one of my favourite places. It was a rock that was about  
four feet high. I had a perfect view of the ocean. I always felt peace when  
I looked at the ocean. Haiku came up behind me. "What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I won't go with you," I answered her.  
  
"What makes you think you need to leave your home and come with me?"  
  
"I know who you are." I was starting to get annoyed with her. "You're the  
gatherer."  
  
"So my messager did come here."  
  
"I never said that. I just said that I know why you're here."  
  
"Then do you also know exactly WHO I am?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you know who you are?"  
  
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" The whole time while we were talking  
Haiku was moving closer to me. Now, next to me she picked up my hand and  
touched my forehead with it. I couldn't see it, but I knew the symbol of  
Neptune had appeared on my forehead. I was proved right when a copy of it  
flew out of my forehead to in front of my face. When I reached out to touch  
it a greenish-blue circle appeared around it. Then an eight-pointed star  
around that. A handle appeared below it. The sign of Neptune merged with the  
sign of infinity, a circle. I took it in my hand and just stared at it.  
  
When I broke out of my trance-like state I shoved Haiku off of the rock. I  
stood up and threw the power stick at her. "Why can't you just understand  
that no means NO. Before I realized what I was doing a wave of water  
appeared at my hands. It shot it out and drenched Haiku. I turned around and  
looked out over the ocean and before Haiku could stop me I dived down  
towards the water.  
  
***************  
  
I couldn't believe that she actually jumped. It had to be about a 30 foot  
drop. I quickly scrambled back on to the rock but when I looked over the  
edge I couldn't see anything but water. "Michiru!" I screamed and jumped in  
after her. I used strands of magic to make my descent slower. I swam around  
everywhere but couldn't find her. There was rock about six feet below the  
water's surface and Michiru dived in... But I couldn't find anything. Maybe  
having the ocean as her element saved her. I hoped.  
  
I climbed out of the water even more drenched than I was before. I was  
surprised that Michiru had been able to use the strands of magic without  
even trying. Then again Resistance had said that the outer senshi would  
develop differently to this world than the inners. It didn't even take  
anything for Michiru to form her transformation stick. When I went back to  
the rock I was stumped. Her transformation stick was gone.  
  
When I found Minako I explained to her what had happened. She was upset that  
she had missed it. I also explained to her that there was some reason that  
Michiru didn't what to be a sailor senshi anymore. "Does anything come to  
mind of why she wouldn't?" I asked Minako. "Anything that might have  
happened during the last battle?"  
  
Minako shrugged. "I don't know. Suka said that the island is cut off from  
the rest of the world so she hasn't seen Haruka or any of us since rebirth.  
That might have something to do with it." I nodded.  
  
Taking a long tour of the island we made our way back to where we started.  
When we got back it was starting to get dark. Suka was standing in the  
doorway. "And where have you been?" she smiled and we all stepped in. "Now,  
where are you going to stay now that you're okay?"  
  
"What's wrong with here?"  
  
"This is just a recovery area and infirmary. No place to stay. I think  
Michiru was going to have you stay at her house for a while with Kenji. But  
I haven't seen what happened to her since she ran off. Do you know where she  
is?"  
  
"Um, she's.... a-"  
  
"Right here." We turned around to face Michiru in the doorway. "Come on,"  
she said. I'll show you the way to our house." After we were out on the  
street I was about to say something when Michiru turned around to me. "Just  
drop it, okay? Or I'll do a lot more that get you wet." The rest of the trip  
was spent in silence. Michiru led us to a pretty big two-story house. We  
went up to a room on the second floor. "This is your room." Our packs were  
on the floor. "You might want to change into something dry," Michiru  
suggested. Minako and I changed into the clothes we had bought in Toria  
Command City.  
  
********************  
  
I left them to change into something more comfortable. I walked into the  
kitchen to help Kenji put some kind of dinner together. "It's about time you  
got back. I take it we have some guests?"  
  
"Yeah, remind me to introduce." I didn't really feel like cooking so we just  
tossed a bunch of stuff into a pot for a stew.  
  
Kenji got a worried look on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You're acting  
a little strange."  
  
"Of course I'm okay." Haiku and Minako came down and into the kitchen.  
"Kenji, this is Haiku and Minako; Haiku, Minako, this is Kenji, my fiance."  
  
Kengi shook their hands. "Nice to meet you."  
  
"Fiance?!" Minako asked. "But aren't you..." I gave her a sharp look and she shut  
up. My sexual preferences were my own business.  
  
During dinner Kenji did most of the talking. He told Haiku and Minako all  
about himself, and when he asked them questions he started talking about  
something else before they could answer. I swear, that man could talk to a  
duck. After I cleaned everything up I went out for a walk. I knew Haiku and  
Minako were following me so I didn't bother going far. They weren't going to  
leave me alone until I explained to them why I didn't want to be a senshi  
anymore. I walked to a quiet part of the village. Overlooking the ocean,  
which was hard to not do wherever you were in the village. I sat down and  
Minako and Haiku sat at either side of me.  
  
"I don't want to fight without HER," I said.  
  
"We'll find her. We're going to find everyone."  
  
"You won't be able to find her. You don't understand."  
  
"What!" Haiku cried. "What don't I understand?"  
  
"You weren't there. The last time I was with her. After everyone had been  
blasted she decided to play hero and attack the enemy with her sword. The  
enemy just blasted her back and then blasted her over and over again. I ran  
to her and held her in my arms. There was blood all over her. She told me  
that she was dying, and I told her to hold on and then she fell into  
unconsciousness. Then the other senshi were sent away, and we were washed  
away by the water. But just before we were washed away she stopped  
breathing. The earthquakes and the floods and the destruction, there was no  
way Haruka could have survived that being half dead. I barely survived with  
the help of my powers." I was starting to lose it and my voice was getting  
wobbly. "And now, ...I'll ,sob, never see her again." I burst into tears.  
Minako took me in her arms and I cried all over her too.  
  
"Don't worry," she said in a comforting voice. "We won't make you do  
anything you don't want to do." We just sat there for a while.  
  
"But now I have Kenji, and we're going to be married in a couple of months,  
in the coming of the new year, the last day of this year." We separated and  
Minako pushed a strand of my hair out of my face.  
  
"Michiru," Haiku asked me, "What happened to you when you jumped off the  
rock? Where did you go?"  
  
I found myself grinning. "There's an opening to a cave just below the rock.  
It's only about three feet high. I just grabbed the edge and swung myself  
in. I do it all the time and no one else knows about that cave." I sat there  
in wonder about how I soaked Haiku when I began to see different coloured  
threads everywhere. I thought I was loosing it. When I reached out and  
actually touched one I discovered that it was magic. I found that I could  
make water appear out of nothing but once it disappeared I suffered a small  
jolt of pain. I decided to stop since I didn't like it. "I just exited  
through the other side of the cave."  
  
"And what did you do with the stick?"  
  
"I got rid of it. So I'll never see it again, and you can't try to give it  
to me."  
  
********  
  
The next week went by smoothly. Haiku, Minako, and Michiru all got along  
fine together, but Rei and Ami didn't wake up immediately. Ami's condition improved  
fairly quickly and in a week she was back on her feet. Rei's condition  
didn't really change very much. It just got a little better.  
  
When Suka came to get Haiku she was helping Michiru with her garden. Ami was  
off trailing behind Minako who was somewhere flirting with guys. Ami said it  
was a waste of time but Minako still flirted and Ami still followed her.  
  
Suka stopped for a second to catch her breath. "Haiku, I couldn't find Ami  
or Minako but you have to come quick, there's something wrong with Rei, I  
think she's dying. Michiru and Haiku followed her back to Rei. She was  
wheezing and coughing. Haiku took her hand. "Your right, she's slipping  
away."  
  
Suddenly there was a gigantic crash from outside. They ran outside to find  
out what it was. It was the sound of a house being crushed down on itself.  
The cause was a fifteen foot tall dragon that had jumped on it. Minako and  
Ami ran up to them. "What's going on?" Haiku yelled over the noise of the  
panicking village.  
  
"It just appeared out of the sky," answered Ami, "And landed on that house.  
  
"I need you and Minako to hold it off for a while. Rei is dying and I have  
to help her. I'm going to attempt to use the strands of magic to bring her  
back."  
  
"Is that possible?"  
  
"Yes, but it's pretty dangerous." Haiku hoped that Ami would take in the  
lie.  
  
"All right," Ami nodded. Haiku went back into the building and shut the door  
before anyone could follow her.  
  
"It's too bad strands of magic can't actually be used to heal people," Haiku  
said herself. She opened her closed hand where a white crystal now sat.  
  
"Mercury Eternal, UNITE!" While Ami transformed, Minako ran off to get her  
bow. "Hey you!" Ami yelled at the dragon. The dragon just ignored her and  
ate a fleeing person. Ami was curious to how the dragon could digest bones.  
"How dare you eat an innocent person. FREEZE!" The beam of ice froze one of  
the dragon's scales. Now she had the dragon's attention. "Mercury Polar Ice  
Sheet, FREEZE!" The dragon put its arms up in front of itself and they were  
frozen. But it was just an ice covering and when the dragon moved its arms  
the ice that had formed around them shattered. The dragon drew its head  
back. "Mercury Polar Ice Sheet Freeze!" And a beam of black energy  
intercepted a blast of energy from Sailor Mercury. Just Sailor Mercury's  
power was nothing compared to the power of this beast and she was easily  
overpowered. Minako got back in time to see Sailor Mercury get shocked by  
negative energy. Mercury screamed. Minako shot an arrow at the dragon but it  
just bounced off its scales. The dragon swung its tail and sent Minako  
flying. Now only Michiru was standing there because everyone else had fled  
to the forest.  
  
********  
  
The crystal gave off a light glow that illuminated the whole room. Haiku put her  
hands and the crystal on Rei's chest. The whole room was getting brighter  
and brighter. Haiku focused on the crystal, and then Rei and then focusing  
the crystal on Rei. Finally, she lost herself into the power of the crystal.  
The next thing she knew, Rei was opening her eyes and she herself was  
exhausted. Haiku quickly hid the crystal and handed Rei a drink. "Welcome  
back to the light."  
  
"How long have I been out?" Rei asked, taking in her surroundings.  
  
"Oh, about a little more than a week. But I'll get you caught up later."  
Haiku stopped to catch her breath. "Right now you need to transform and go  
fight a dragon that is attacking the village we're staying in. There's no  
time."  
  
Rei ran outside. She recognized the dragon as the almost the same one as the  
one in Toria only it was a sea blue. "Michiru?"  
  
"Oh hi Rei. So Haiku saved you. You have to help your friends. They're out  
cold." Rei noticed Sailor Mercury lying on the ground and knelt down beside  
her.  
  
"Good. She's still alive. Mars Eternal, UNITE! Mars Flaming Inferno, BLAZE!"  
The dragon was caught off guard and got some nasty wounds but it just  
increased its anger. "Mars Flaming Inferno Blaze!" This time Mars' fire was  
met with nega energy. The dragon started to overpower her. Sailor Mars came  
up with an idea, it was a long shot but,... she pulled out the scale she had  
gotten from the last dragon she had fought. She had clipped it to the center  
of her back bow. Now, with the scale in her hands, the fire started to gain  
ground on the nega energy.  
  
Michiru didn't notice Haiku until she was right beside her. "She's not going  
to be able to beat the dragon, even with the scale."  
  
"Why don't you help her?"  
  
"Because I used my strength to heal her. I can barely move now. Only you can  
help her now."  
  
"You said you wouldn't make me transform."  
  
"If you don't help Rei, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! If you don't want to do it  
for her THAN DO IT TO SAVE YOURSELF AND THE FUTURE OF THIS VILLAGE!" Haiku  
fell back panting, trying not to loose consciousness. "Please..."  
  
Haiku wasn't surprised when Michiru pulled out her transformation wand which  
she had supposedly 'got rid of'.  
  
"Neptune Eternal, UNITE!"  
  
The changes in her fuku were the same as in Mars and Mercury only instead of  
six-pointed stars on her front and back bows they were eight-pointed stars.  
Just as Haiku had predicted, Sailor Mars began to loose again.  
  
"I call upon the powers of the ocean, help me banish this monster." From all  
around the island, water shot out of the ocean and pummeled the dragon. The  
dragon went flying out over the ocean, but managed to stay in the air. Dark  
clouds formed above it. "Just leave me alone! Neptune Water, Craze Tornado,  
STRIKE!" While she said this she began to spin very fast and it seemed that  
energy was just being sucked into her, and you could see it. When she said  
the last word she stopped spinning and a big ball of blue energy had formed  
in one of Sailor Neptune's hands. She threw it underhand at the dragon. When  
it hit the dragon it sent a jolt through it but that wasn't the end. Next  
the blue-coloured energy began to swirl around the dragon. Faster and  
faster. Water from the ocean and out of nothing appeared and started  
swirling around the dragon in a giant whirlwind tornado. It seemed to reach  
from the ocean to the sky. The force of it ripped the dragon apart, and the  
only thing left, when the water dispersed, was a greenish-blue scale, which  
floated down to Sailor Neptune. She placed it on her back bow and walked  
back to Haiku.  
  
"Does this mean you'll join us?"  
  
"I will do no such thing. I am going to live here and in three weeks I'm  
going to get married."  
  
Haiku sighed and fell unconscious. By the time the villagers had begun to  
return, Rei and Michiru had carried Haiku, Ami, and Minako to their beds in  
Michiru's house. While Michiru made something for Rei to eat she told her  
about where she was. Over the next week all of the villager's questions were  
answered and Haiku, Minako, Ami, and Rei made a full recovery. With the help  
of the citizens of Dohilne they also built a sea worthy boat. (Although most of it had  
been built before their arrival) Michiru still  
refused to go with them. Before they left Haiku gave her message. "If you  
crave the old times, or something better, meet your destiny at The  
Gathering. If your cause is true, when the sky turns green, you will find  
your way to Crescent Island."  
  
Haiku didn't even know where Crescent Island was or why the sky would turn  
green, but that was the prophecy she was following.  
  
*********  
  
Waves hit the boat in an almost rhythmatic pattern against the side of the  
ship. "So where are we going now?" Minako asked.  
  
"We're going to continue to Afkzo, the desert region. The only way we're  
going to be able to persuade Michiru to come with us is to find Haruka. I  
can't see her being dead so she has to be out there somewhere."  
  
"Wouldn't we find more people if we went to the mountain region?" Ami  
inquired. "It would be much more preferable to live in mountains than the  
desert."  
  
"The mountain region is impossible to get in to. There are sheer cliffs all  
around the border of the region that are estimated to be about a hundred  
feet tall. A special moss grows on its sides which makes scaling the wall  
impossible. No one goes in, no one comes out. There must be something very  
special or dangerous kept there. Right now the desert is our best bet."  
  
Their ship quickly sped along the threads of magic, so that people like  
themselves who did not know how control a seaworthy ship could travel in it.  
So they sped off to Afkzo, the desert region. Miles and miles of desert....  
  
  
***** 


	9. Episode 8: Double Team, Powers Regained

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 8 'Double Team: Powers Regained'  
  
The only thing you could see besides sand, was the Control Point, and more  
sand. Minako, Haiku and Rei were making pretty good time across the desert,  
despite the fact that they didn't have any type of animal to ride on. Ami  
was now making her way back to Kaipo. Haiku had wanted her to go back and  
fix her ship, so currently they had no way to get off of this region. When  
Ami reached Kaipo, she would send the ship back, along the threads of magic.  
There was a chance that the attachment to the threads would give out before  
it got back but the risk was necessary to take.  
  
So the other three had spent the last few hours travelling towards the  
Command Point of Akfzo. One might think that because there were six regions  
in the world, and actually created by someone, that they would be evenly  
shaped. Well, that was totally false. The land twisted and curved around the  
command points. The senshi had taken the ship to the edge of the region that  
was closest to the Command Point.  
  
Suddenly the ground started to shake and a giant sand worm came out of the  
ground and then went back into it. The thing was about five feet wide.  
"Don't worry," Haiku said. "They're so big they'll leave us alone."  
  
Minako started to run. "They might, but they WON'T!" she said pointing  
behind her. Approaching the senshi were fifty or more sand worms, only they  
were only one foot across each. Haiku and Rei ran after her. The smaller  
worms couldn't really move all that fast but they slowly gained on the  
senshi.  
  
Rei pulled out her transformation stick. "I'm going to transform."  
  
"You can't," Haiku said. "The desert conditions are too harsh. You'd use up  
too much of your energy. There are way too many for us to handle." Running  
away didn't really do much good as they were surrounded in about ten  
minutes. All of the worms moved in at once.  
  
"Mars Eter-" Suddenly they all started to drop dead. Someone was cutting  
through them and in less than a minute all of the worms were lying there in  
pieces, dead. It was a person, a woman, in a suit of white. Like the senshi,  
her face was covered so they couldn't tell who she was.  
  
"Safe journey." She bowed to them and disappeared into the sand. One second  
she was there and the next second she wasn't.  
  
"Who is she?" Rei asked.  
  
"Probably someone who makes sure travellers between the harbour and the city  
make it safely." Haiku answered. They turned back to the point but they  
couldn't see it because of winds that had picked up. There was sand  
everywhere.  
  
"Which way is the point?" Minako asked.  
  
"I think it's over there." Haiku pointed in a direction. She wasn't exactly  
sure where the Command Point was but it sure wasn't where they were now.  
They started off the in the direction Haiku pointed to.  
  
After an hour they still hadn't reached the point and the winds weren't  
letting up. Rei just stopped. "I think we're lost."  
  
"Maybe we should set up some kind of camp and wait the storm out." Minako  
offered.  
  
"Oh, I don't know which way to go." Haiku said. She kept walking. "I wish  
there was someone living out here that we could ask for directions."  
Suddenly Haiku fell through the sand. Rei ran up to the spot and dropped to  
her knees but there was just sand. There was no sinking sand or anything.  
  
"Where'd she go?" Minako was frantic.  
  
"I'm not sure." Rei answered. Rei put a foot out to the spot where Haiku  
disappeared and her leg went right through. "She went down there."  
  
"But what's keeping the sand there?"  
  
"Magic." Rei jumped down through the sand. Minako jumped after her to find  
herself dangling over a pit from Rei's hand. Rei was hanging on to an  
outcrop. "I'm going to swing you over to that ledge down there, okay?"  
  
Below them and a little to the right was a platform. "Okay." Rei swung back  
and forth and sent Minako tumbling towards the platform. She landed on her  
feet. Rei pulled herself up on to the ledge she was hanging on to. Rei  
pulled the facecover of her suit down away from her mouth. "Mars Eternal,  
Unite!"  
  
Sailor Mars jumped off the ledge and grabbed Minako as she passed her. "Come  
on." Sailor Mars and Minako fell down into the pit. It was so dark they  
couldn't see anything. "Mars Flaming Inferno, BLAZE!" And blaze it did. A  
stream of fire streamed down into the pit. The whole tunnel was lit up.  
Right below them was a fork, and before they could react they fell down the  
passage to the right. They dropped about another 20 feet and landed on the  
ground, Sailor Mars helping to cushion Minako's fall. They were in a small  
passage only about 7 feet high and 3 wide. As they moved on, the passage  
widened out into a chamber. In the center of the chamber was a young girl  
playing in the center of it with a doll.  
  
As they entered she looked up. "Oh no. Strangers." She ran to the opposite  
side of the room and through a very small hole. Sailor Mars and Minako ran  
after her but there was no way for them to follow. There were no other  
visible passages leaving the chamber besides this one and the one they came  
in.  
  
Sailor Mars began to run her hands along the walls. "There must be a hidden  
passage. You take that side." Fifteen minutes later they were back in the  
center of the room and still had no exit. Suddenly the ceiling of the room  
disappeared and ten men with spears dropped down on all of their sides and  
pointed the spears right at them.  
  
Minako glanced at Sailor Mars who was preparing to attack. "No. Don't toast  
them. We don't need more any more enemies," she whispered.  
  
One of the men pricked Sailor Mars. "So these aren't our enemies?" Sailor  
Mars said sarcastically.  
  
"Just flame them if you need to."  
  
"Define need."  
  
One of the men took a box and pressed one of the buttons on it. The small  
opening that the little girl had gone through opened up into a passage large  
enough for them to pass through. Poking Minako and Sailor Mars a few times  
the men led them down the passage. After they had travelled for a bit they  
came to their destination.  
  
It was a city completely underground. There were torches everywhere to keep  
the place lit up. They were led to a building in the center, a little bigger  
than the others and on sort of a little hill. There were people in the  
houses around them peeking out of windows, pretending that no one could see  
them. The houses were made of a mixture of rock and mud. Just inside the  
front of the center house was a desk, with the rest of the house behind a  
wall. There sat a man, in around his mid-thirties, looking at pieces of  
paper and writing things on them.  
  
He looked up in surprise from his work. "What's this? Even more spies?"  
  
"More?" Minako asked.  
  
"Yeah, right through the sand. Only unlike you, they went right down to the  
pit. I don't know how you passed through the barrier, as only magic can  
affect it, but your not going to stay here."  
  
"Uh Sir, I think you've made a mistake. We're-"  
  
"I know who you are!" The man yelled. "You people are not going to beat us!  
Go join your friend." The man pressed a button on his desk and the ground  
below Rei and Minako disappeared. They fell down into the dark.  
  
"Rot in the Caverns of Shmyte," he called after them.  
  
Rei and Minako fell about 20 feet and landed even deeper underground. They  
were unhurt. They were in a tunnel that was lit up by an unknown source.  
everything was a shade of a light purple. "All right." Rei exclaimed. "I've  
had it. We're going right back up there and we're going to take care of  
those people. The tips of her fingers were starting to glow red.  
  
"No. Not yet," Minako pulled down Sailor Mars' hands. "We have to find Haiku  
first.  
  
"I know, I know. It's just ...,"  
  
Minako pointed in the direction that Haiku would most likely be in. "Come  
on. Let's go this way." After they had taken a few steps they could hear a  
distant swishing noise, that was getting louder and louder. "Uh, I think we  
better run," Minako said and took off. Rei stared down the tunnel for  
another second and then ran after Minako. When next they checked behind  
themselves the tunnel was filling with water. Luckily they were going up  
hill so it was taking a little longer. It would be on them in another few  
seconds. At the top of the hill the water was just about over their heads.  
  
Just as they were going to fall down the other sides of the hill, which was  
actually a cliff, they were pulled into another tunnel. "Haiku!" Minako said  
happily. "You're okay."  
  
Haiku pulled Minako and Rei to their feet. "Of course I'm okay. I think  
you're a little wet. I was expecting you to follow me. How did you get into  
that cave?"  
  
"We," Rei was panting, catching her breath, "Went through the city and then  
they dropped us down here."  
  
"City? What city?" Haiku asked.  
  
"The underground city that we just went through. You must have missed it.  
There was fork back at that hole we fell down in the desert. You fell one  
way and we fell the other."  
  
"I didn't know there were people living in the Caverns of Shmyte. No one  
ever said anything about them."  
  
"I think that's because they want to stay hidden. They were convinced we  
were spies from the Command City." Minako pointed out.  
  
"Well," Haiku said. "We have to go back there." The way I came is blocked  
off so we're going to have to get out of here the way you came in.  
  
Rei pointed at the way she had come. "You mean we have to go back through  
that?!"  
  
"We can go that way, unless of course you want to go through the fire  
caverns, and since we don't have Sailor Mercury with us we wouldn't last  
long there. So your going to have to flame our way out of here."  
  
"All right."  
  
"Haiku, where exactly are we?" Minako asked.  
  
"We're in the Caverns of Shmyte. They run completely underneath Akfzo. Each  
tunnel has something in it to stop you from getting through. Everyone says  
there is something is hidden here, but because of the diversity of the  
tunnels, no one can get through more than one. Even the Creators. Right now  
we're in a neutral point, which is where I found myself after I stopped  
falling. Maybe with all of the senshi together we might have a chance of  
getting through. Now we better get going."  
  
Now the tunnel beside them was empty of water. "Now Rei, in about 5 seconds  
into the tunnel, the water will be on us. It doesn't help that we'll be  
running in the direction that they water will be coming but we don't really  
have any choice." Sailor Mars led the way into the tunnel and they started  
to run as fast as they could. When the sound of water was really loud Sailor  
Mars held her hands out in front of them.  
  
"Mars Flaming Inferno, BLAZE!" A sheet of fire just filled the tunnel in  
front of them. Sailor Mars was like a giant flamethrower. The tunnel began to fill  
with steam but they just kept on running. When they reached  
the place where Rei and Minako had fallen into the tunnel, Sailor Mars  
wasn't paying attention so Minako had to yank her to a stop by grabbing her  
ribbons. The whole tunnel was a steam bath. Haiku used strands of magic to lift  
them up into the hole in the ceilling. When she could see the top, she  
formed a temporary platform below them. Sailor Mars colasped against the  
side of the tunnel and changed back to Rei. "Can I go to sleep now?" she  
asked.  
  
"Good job Rei," Haiku said. "I'm sure that you won't have to use your fire  
on the people in that village. Minako, will you help Rei up through the  
hole?" Haiku reached up and tried to lift up the ceiling, but was  
unsuccessful. After fiddling with it for a while, she was able to slide it  
aside and hop up through the hole. The only person in the office was the  
chief and he was facing away. Minako joined Haiku and together they helped  
Rei. "Excuse me Sir," Haiku said.  
  
As the man turned around in his seat he said, "Yes, what is is now." When he  
didn't get an answer immediately he looked up from whatever he was reading.  
"Who are you, how did you get in here?" Haiku pointed towards the hole in  
the floor. "But that's, ...GUARDS!" Two men came running into the room.  
  
"What would you like Sir!" It was a question, but said as if it was just a  
statement.  
  
"Restrain them." He said pointing to Haiku, Rei, and Minako. The guards  
moved forward and reached for them.  
  
"You will do no such thing," Haiku said and used strands of magic to send  
the guards back to the entrance of the room and onto their butts. "We're not  
your enemies."  
  
Suddenly a siren sounded. A man ran into the room and up to the chief. "It's  
the Creator. It's broken into the floor above the city. Our soldiers are  
already on their way, but we don't have the magic to counter their magic. We  
just have the warriors. We need to come up with a plan. Oh, what will we  
do?"  
  
The chief was stunned. He hadn't expected this battle to come so soon. "I,  
uh."  
  
Haiku walked towards the door. "Don't worry," she said. "We'll take care of  
the magic."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"Rei, maybe you should stay here."  
  
"No way! I'm not staying here while you're getting your butt kicked." Before  
the men in the room could say anything, the girls were out the door. There  
were people running from all over the place with weapons to two tunnels,  
across from each other on two sides of the village.  
  
"Rei, you go over there while Minako and I go this way."  
  
"All right! Mars Eternal, Unite!"  
  
They split up and ran towards the tunnels. Haiku wrapped herself in as many  
strands of magic as she could. When she started to glow, people even got out  
of her way. They hurried up a set of poorly made steps. When they reached  
the top, they were amazed. In the center of the room was a black mist which  
seemed to suck the light from the room. There was a giant hole in the  
ceiling above it. All around it on the ground were retlocs and shadows  
fighting with humans. The humans might have been winning but the black mist  
kept whipping out and touching people. The touch killed instantly.  
  
Haiku released her magic and surrounded the Creator with it. You could see a  
rainbow of colour swirling around the black. Then the colours turned into a  
crystal clear sphere around the Creator. Haiku struggled to keep it  
contained even as soon as she was done. The Creator fought viciously, but  
wasn't able to break through. Minako protected Haiku all through this.  
Sailor Mars was using her powers to flame retlocs. Because the Creator  
couldn't restore the retlocs and more humans kept on coming and coming, it  
seemed like the humans might have won.  
  
But then the Creator released a surprising amount of energy and its prison  
shattered into nothing. From training, Haiku was able to stand a lot of  
backlash, but this was still a lot. Her screams could be heard throughout  
the room. She collapsed, crying, blood all over herself. The Creator began  
to restore the retlocs and the humans began to lose again. The Creator had  
seemed to tap into even more energy and people were dying very quickly.  
Minako half carried, half dragged a semi-conscious Haiku to the side of the  
room. Sailor Mars was very quickly getting tired because she had already  
been pretty drained when she began.  
  
Suddenly the person dressed in white who had rescued Haiku, Minako, and Rei  
earlier dropped down through the hole in the ceiling and right through the  
Creator. She then started to cut through the retlocs at an amazing speed.  
Minako armed her bow and shot a retloc that tried to backstab the person.  
The person stopped and stared at Minako. With this new stab in the Creator's  
forces people started fighting even harder so Minako only got a glimpse of  
the person.  
  
Minako turned back to Haiku and tried to stop some of the bleeding without  
success. Then she was pulled up to her feet. "Mina," the person said.  
  
It was the woman in white. Only now they had their head cover off. "Makoto?"  
Minako asked. "I'm so glad to see you." The two friends embraced.  
  
"We have to release our powers."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You mean you don't remember?"  
  
"Remember what? I remember little of what happened after I was blasted."  
  
"After the battle, to ensure that we would live, and run in to each other  
again, we looped our powers together. The only bad part was that in order to  
regain our powers we would have to meet up."  
  
"I think I remember a little now." Minako looked at the battle. There  
weren't too many humans left, just the really good fighters who could evade  
the Creator. "We can catch up later. Right now we have to beat the Creator.  
Are you ready?"  
  
"I've always been ready."  
  
Minako and Makoto stood back to back and then clasped each other's hands.  
  
"Venus Eternal..."  
  
"Jupiter Eternal..."  
  
"UNITE!"  
  
Lightning and yellow strands of hearts began to swirl around Minako and  
Makoto. They rose a couple feet off the ground. There was a lot of light and  
the battle seemed to stop. Then the strands just circled around the person  
they belonged to and their sailor fukus appeared. They were completely  
white, and then in a flash had the new colours and other additions. They  
settled back on the ground. "Whoa, big change in my suit," Jupiter  
commented. "Let's rock."  
  
"JUPITER LIGHTNING WAVE CAPTURE" Sailor Jupiter held her arms back and then  
when she put them forward from all over the place behind her lightning  
appeared out of nowhere and shot forward. It formed kind of a net and  
surrounded the Creator. The Creator had already used up a lot of energy so  
it couldn't break through Sailor Jupiter's bonds.  
  
"My turn," Sailor Venus stated. "VENUS," she held her arms backwards,  
"CRESCENT," she stuck out a finger and as she swung her arms forward two  
crescent moons arced back from her fingers, "CROSS." Her fingers met in  
front of her and then the two crescents swirled together and then formed a  
cross. The cross spun and shot forward into the Creator. It disappeared into  
the black.  
  
"Umm, Minako, I think there's supposed to be a little more than that."  
  
"There is. CRUSH!" From all around the Creator a sphere of orange energy  
appeared and shot inwards, and then back out. When it came back out there  
was a great explosion and the Creator was greatly damaged, but not  
destroyed. The explosion was really impressive and everything that was  
fighting just stopped.  
  
Sailor Jupiter still had her hands held up and decided to add her attack.  
"SHOCK!" The cage of lightning that was surrounding the Creator lit up so it  
didn't look like a cage anymore and the top of it just dropped through the  
Creator, shocking it, and then destroying the remaining retlocs. The Creator  
shriveled up so that it was only about the size of a few people. It shot  
back up through the hole and towards the Command Point.  
  
The people who were still alive cheered. Sailor Jupiter and Venus hugged and  
danced around in circles. "Yeah! We beat a Creator," the people cheered.  
  
"We've got to help Haiku," Sailor Venus said. She ran over to Haiku and with  
Sailor Jupiter's help was able to lift her up.  
  
"Who is she?" Sailor Jupiter asked.  
  
"All I know is she calls herself Haiku. She's been travelling to gather all  
of the senshi. She has a very good ability of using magic and for a moment  
had the Creator trapped." Sailor Mars joined them and greeted Jupiter.  
Sailor Mars was pale and was stumbling a little but otherwise alright.  
  
"Tell the people in the village that you want to go to the quarters of the  
desert guide. You'll find what you need to clean her up, there." Sailor  
Jupiter ran off to go help people she knew. All around Sailor Venus and  
Mars, people were asking questions and things but the two senshi just  
ignored them and rushed Haiku back down to the village. They passed all  
kinds of doctors and other people who were helping the wounded. When they  
reached the village, Sailor Mars grabbed someone and got the directions to  
Makoto's quarters. It was down a tunnel that branched off from the city.  
Haiku had regained enough consciousness to help get herself there.  
  
To keep their minds away from the situation, Sailor Venus explained to the  
others how she had regained her powers. "Before all of us were separated  
after we lost the battle, Makoto and I, under the suggestion of Sailor Pluto  
linked our powers together and to the reality. I'm not even sure what we  
did, but we did it so that it was guaranteed that we would survive through  
the change of the world. The only downside to this was that in order to  
transform we would have to come together again. It only would have worked  
with two or more people, so we did it together. Unfortunately I wasn't  
paying great attention to what I was doing and forgot about the act. The way  
I remember, Sailor Mars and Mercury were doing it when they were washed away  
by water."  
  
At the end of the tunnel they were following, they found a cave beside a  
running stream. Sailor Venus and Mars powered down and Minako went into the  
cave. She came out carrying a cloth. Surprisingly, the water was warm, and  
as Haiku slipped in and out of consciousness, Minako and Rei managed to get  
her cleaned up. Haiku wasn't hurt as bad as it looked, there was just a lot  
of blood. She had a few slashes on her back, chest, legs, and her face.  
Otherwise she had just lost a lot of blood. The water was so nice that after  
Haiku had gone to sleep inside the cave, Minako and Rei had a bath  
themselves.  
  
A little after they were finished and planning to return to the village,  
Makoto showed up, carrying their packs which they had left in the chief's  
office. "I figured these belonged to you. How is Haiku?"  
  
"She's alright, just needs some rest. It's good to see you. We were about to  
go back to the village."  
  
"Don't bother. We'll all go in the morning. It's just about sunset now. I'll  
cook us up a meal and you guys can fill me in on your adventures." Minako  
and Rei followed Makoto into her home.  
  
Makoto made a stew to eat. It didn't look that great but tasted terrific.  
When Minako asked Makoto what was in it she said that it would be better if  
she didn't know. Minako and Rei told Makoto all about what had happened to  
them. From Haiku rescuing Minako from across the universe, to having a run  
in with Michiru on the Island of Dohilne. In turn, Makoto told them about  
herself.  
  
"After the darkness, I found myself in a desert city. I lived there and  
observed the happenings. There were always people traveling from the port to  
the other City standing next to the Command Point, but it was a difficult  
journey to take because of the sand worms. While observing the happenings  
around me I learned to use the strands of magic to move quickly when I  
fought."  
  
"Having nothing better to do, I took up the job of helping travellers get to  
the Command City and back by fighting the sand worms. Near the Command Point  
there is some kind of mega oil vein. Almost an endless supply. So oil is  
always being transported to places all over the world. It got me on the good  
side of the people of the Command City so I kept on doing it. I would just  
kill sand worms that threatened travellers like you guys and then vanish."  
  
"Later, the people of the desert village found the Caverns of Shmyte. They  
were found to be extremely dangerous, but after some exploring a group of  
caves that weren't protected were found. The village was moved to there as  
you saw earlier. Although it's completely underground, it provides safety  
from the harsh conditions of the desert. I had given myself quite a  
reputation by that point and the people of the city gave me this cave here,  
that has a path that leads to a place on the surface, in between the harbour  
and the Command City."  
  
"Unfortunately, the people of the Command City decided that we shouldn't be  
allowed to live here so they sent retlocs to run us out. Of course, we  
fought back. But being at an alliance with the city, I just stayed out of  
the way. Then the rulers of the Command City decided that they wanted me to  
come live there. When I declined, it made them want to clear out the Caverns  
of Shmyte even more."  
  
"The people of the underground city realized that they were in danger so  
they explored some more of the caverns. They found a way to use some kind of  
magic to guard the village. We were able to fight off the Creator's initial  
attacks but then as you saw, they got through. I was still on the surface  
taking out the Creator's forces there and I had no idea you'd showed up, but  
I'm glad you did."  
  
That night they all slept well knowing that for the moment they were all  
safe, and felt confident from their victory. In the morning after some  
breakfast, they went back to the city. Haiku was filled in about Makoto's  
past and with some help, was able to walk into the city with them. There  
were people all over the place watching, and commenting on how good a job  
that they did. The chief's whole family was with him.  
  
"I must apologize for how I treated you earlier. Had I known; I'm ashamed.  
If there's anything I can do to help, I would do so. Thank you for helping  
us again Makoto."  
  
"What will you do now?"  
  
"We'll find who's still alive and recover. I think that the Creator has had  
enough of us for a while."  
  
"I'm going to be going," Makoto said.  
  
"But why? We need you here in case the Creator does attack again."  
  
"I have to go with my friends, in hope to defeat all of the Creators. Don't  
worry, by the time the Creator has regained its power it will have a lot  
more to worry about."  
  
Haiku stepped forward. "Currently I am known as the Gatherer. I'm gathering  
the Sailor Senshi, to fight the Creators. I need your people to come to  
Crescent Island when the time is right."  
  
"But how will we know? And where is Crescent Island?"  
  
"The prophecy is: If you crave the old times, or something better, meet your  
destiny at The Gathering. If your cause is true, when the sky turns green,  
you will find your way to Crescent Island."  
  
The next few days were spent helping the people of the village, and waiting  
for Haiku to heal up. Haiku's wounds healed at an accelerated rate because  
she used some strands of magic to help. (Or at least that what she said was  
helping) Before they left, they discussed where they would go next.  
  
"So where do you plan on taking us Haiku?" Makoto asked. Just like the  
others, she felt that Haiku was familiar from somewhere, but she couldn't  
remember where.  
  
"Well, I figured we would go to the Command City and give my message. And we  
need to track down Haruka. Then we'll be set."  
  
"I was talking to Haruka just a little while back."  
  
"What?! You mean she's alright?"  
  
"Yeah, she said that she wanted to regain all of her power so she was going  
after the artifact. Like Minako and I, to regain our powers and to guarantee  
that we would survive, we used our powers to link ourselves to this world.  
The outer senshi used their talismen. I don't know how it worked but she  
said that she thought she knew where it was, and she would use the deep sea  
mirror to find Michiru, something that you have already done. It's supposed  
to be in the mountain region."  
  
"But there's no way into that region."  
  
"She said that she had found an underwater passage, and just needed to buy  
the equipment. I take it you want to follow her."  
  
"Do you know what this means," Minako said excitedly, "We've found all of  
our senshi." She and Rei clapped hands. "We just need to go get Haruka."  
  
"Yes," Haiku said. "In addition, tomorrow we'll go buy some diving gear, so  
we can go after Haruka. The senshi WILL be reunited."  
  
********** 


	10. Episode 9: Takeover

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 9 'Takeover'  
  
When Ami had entered Kaipo there were still retlocs guarding the shores. It  
took a while, but she eventually found a place to leave the ship. Then she  
sent the ship off, on the strands of magic, back towards Afkzo. Haiku had  
drawn her a map that showed where she had left her space ship, Sparrow, so  
it was pretty simple where Ami had to go. She travelled and slept in fields  
where the grass was fairly high, and when she reached people who knew her  
she also got a good meal. She reached Haiku's landing point on the second  
morning.  
  
"Let's see, Haiku's ship should be right about here." Ami gasped as she  
stopped in front of a giant hole in the ground. Someone had taken the  
Sparrow. On a closer examination of the site, Ami found that the ship had  
been dragged away, but not in the direction of the Command City. How could  
anyone but the people of the city have the technology to drag something that  
heavy away? She did not know, but Ami could tell from the tracks that this  
had happened in the last 24 hours. She set off, following them immediately.  
  
The tracks led to a house that looked perfectly normal for a house in this  
part of the world. There was a regular door, but the tracks seemed to lead  
up to nothing. There was a fence surrounding the house, and a great amount  
of space beside it where the tracks suddenly disappeared.   
At the top of the fence was barbed wire. Ami would have  
taken a running start and jumped over the fence, but the gate was open so  
she went through there instead. As she passed through she felt a tingling  
sensation and then was met by another surprise. In the great big empty space  
she had seen earlier, now stood a futuristic looking building. The tracks  
left by the Sparrow led up to a very big door. Beside that was a regular  
sized door that was open. Ami entered through there.  
  
Inside was a workshop. In various places along the walls were computer  
outlets. A man in a white lab coat was working with something on a table and  
faced Ami when she entered the room. To her left was Haiku's ship, the  
Sparrow. "What are you doing in here?" the man growled.  
  
"I came to get back this ship. You took it from where my friend left it and  
I was coming to get it for here. I would like to have in back please."  
  
"No. I found it. Its mine now."  
  
"You didn't find it, you took it."  
  
"I don't care. And also, since you've already seen too much of my workshop,  
I'm not going to let you leave." As Ami watched the man threw off his  
trenchcoat and his face which was actually a mask, and underneath Ami found  
that he was a robot. A human cyborg. From each of its hands extended large  
spikes. The door from which Ami entered, shut closed. "I think you've made a  
fatal mistake. Ha ha ha." Before Ami could react the robot shot a few  
spinning blades at her. "Eat my spinning blades." Being the only thing she  
had time to do, she brought her arms up in front of her face.  
  
At the last moment before the blades hit her they stopped in front of her  
and shot off to the side, and back to the robot. "On second thought, using  
my blades on you would be a complete waste. Even if I hurt you a little  
you'd probably cry out in pain. That's the problem with humans, they get  
hurt and die too easily. Never a real match. Especially little girls like  
you. Wimps are no fun to fight and-"  
  
"Enough!" All this time, the robot was making Ami angrier and angrier.  
"You're going to regret being over confident. Mercury Eternal, Unite!"  
  
"I'm pretty soldier Sailor Mercury. I gave you a chance but it seems that  
you are evil. On behalf of Mercury, I'll punish you."  
  
"Oooh I'm scared. Bows and a really short skirt. You're going to get me now.  
You've earned my blades this time for trying." This time Ami was ready for  
his attack. She ran forward and did a flip over the spinning blades and gave  
the robot a foot in the chest. The robot fell backwards. "It seems I  
misjudged you."  
  
"You got that right. Mercury Polar Ice Sheet FREEZE!" Sailor Mercury brought  
her arms together and shot a beam of ice energy at the robot. The robot met  
the attack with a laser of its own.  
  
"Finally, a challenge."  
  
"You think this is a challenge? I'm only using a fraction of my power  
because I wanted to go easy on you."  
  
"What?! How much more powerful can you possibly be."  
  
"ICE SHEET ENCASE!" From the beam of ice came a wave of ice that began  
to circle the robot, faster and faster. When it reached a certain point it  
sank into the robot, and when Sailor Mercury stopped her beam of ice, she  
found that the robot was completely frozen. "A lot more powerful than I  
needed to be to do that."  
  
Ami decided to take a tour of the room. "Now, how and where am I going to  
take this ship?" As she passed a wall she heard a mumbling noise. It was  
coming from a door. Sailor Mercury opened the door, to find a closet. A man  
who was tied up and gagged fell out. Sailor Mercury pulled away the gag.  
  
"Oh thankyou, thankyou. I'm Professor Rinkvle. Would you please untie me?"  
  
"Uh, sure." Sailor Mercury froze pieces of the ropes and they easily came  
off. She helped the man to his feet. He took a look around. he walked over  
to the frozen statue of the robot.  
  
"I built him myself. The robot, I mean." He walked over to the other side of  
it. "He was just supposed to help me with my projects but I built him too  
well and he tied me up and threw me in that closet. I can't thank you  
enough. Is there anything I can do for you?"  
  
"Yeah. Your robot dragged my ship in here and I need to drag it back out of  
here so I can fix it somewhere."  
  
"Why don't you just fix it here. I'm sure I have, or can get a hold of the  
materials here, and I can help you."  
  
"All right." Sailor Mercury changed back to Ami and she and Prof. Rinkvle  
got into a detailed technical discussion that very few people would be able  
to understand, even if they tried.  
  
********  
  
On the arches of the entrances of each Command Citiy one could find the  
names of the region and then 'Command City'. So when Haiku, Rei, Minako, and  
Makoto entered the desert city and expected to see 'Akfzo Command City',  
they were surprised to see 'Akfzo, Kingdom of Karn'. Once in the city, there  
was a fountain, some statues including a statue of someone named Karn, and a  
posting board. All of the sheets on the board had been ripped off and  
replaced by one. It read: "This is now the Kingdom of Karn. I, the  
great Karn, shall be ruling from where no one will find me. To my advantage, the  
Creator has been disabled, and the Command Point is powerless. If you  
thought it was bad before, just wait. You'll be begging for the Creator to  
come back. My first two laws are: No standing around in the streets, unless  
you're worshipping me or reading this posting. Also, no leaving the city.  
Once you're in, you're in for good. This city isn't going to be a hell with  
no people in it. Defiance of these laws will bring severe punishment.  
Hahaha.  
Karn the Great"  
  
"It looks like we have another problem," Minako said.  
  
Makoto pointed off down the street. "Yeah, but first let's get the diving  
gear. We should be able to get it from the mall down the street."  
  
Walking down the street Rei commented, "This city sure looks dead. I can  
feel evil spirits just swirling through this place."  
  
"I think that's the idea," Haiku said. There were very few people on the  
streets and those that were, were walking really fast. The girls went in to  
the main shopping mall and bought the diving gear and climbing gear that  
they needed.  
  
"So where exactly are we going to find this Karn. There weren't any clues on  
the announcement."  
  
"Maybe we should just stand around so he'll come get us."  
  
"No, we want to take him by surprise."  
  
"That's going to be too difficult and we don't have the time."  
  
"How about we transform and blow up that statue of him by the front. If he  
has just taken control of the city now, there's no way he's as strong as the  
Creator, and just two of us beat the Creator."  
  
"Alright. The statue it is." Rei held up her transformation wand and Minako  
and Makoto went back to back.  
  
"Mars Eternal, UNITE"  
  
"Jupiter Eternal, UNITE"  
  
"Venus Eternal, UNITE"  
  
When they reached the statue Haiku said, "I think you should take this one out  
Minako."  
  
"Right. VENUS CRESCENT CROSS," and when the cross hit the statue, "CRUSH!"  
The statue exploded outwards sending rock flying everywhere. Dark energy  
began to swirl around the courtyard they were in. They moved themselves in  
between what was left of the statue -nothing- and the entrance to the city.  
On the other side of where the statue should have been the swirling dark  
energy focused. A second later a man all in black appeared a foot off of the  
ground and landed on his feet.  
  
"How dare you defy the rule of the Great Karn. I don't how you did this, but  
you're not going to live long enough to tell me." Karn shot out his hands  
and the senshi got blasted back off their feet. He pulled out two swords  
from his back and charged the senshi. Haiku charged him with her one sword  
and came down in and arc that sent one of Karn's swords flying. She very  
quickly disarmed him and dodged out of the way.  
  
"Mars Flaming Inferno BLAZE!" Karn was toasted.  
  
"Jupiter Lightning Wave Capture!" Karn found himself in a prison of  
lightning. If he touched one of the sides he got a shock.  
  
"If you don't let me go right now I'll set the Creator to get you."  
  
"The Creator already wants to get us. Who do you think defeated it in the  
first place."  
  
"Uh, you guys did. Uh oh. I'm in trouble now. FORCES OF DARKNESS SURROUND  
ME. RETURN ME TO MY TRUE FORM." The dark wind surrounded Karn and he began  
to grow. When he was too big for Jupiter's prison he broke right through. He  
grew into a 20 foot high chaos dragon. "Not! I am the gold chaos dragon. You  
have no chance to defeat me."  
  
Sailor Venus shook her head. "I can't believe our luck. Whenever we fight  
one of these things we always have the senshi of the same power. Venus  
Crescent Cross .........Crush!" The attack hurt the dragon a little but not  
enough.  
  
"You need to focus all of you're energy into one beam. Try saying all of  
your words for your attack at once," Haiku advised.  
  
"Venus Crescent Cross Crush!" This time Minako shot out a beam of  
golden energy. Unfortunately the  
gold dragon just flew out of the way of the beam. "Whew," Sailor Venus commented,  
"That attack sure takes a lot out of you." The dragon shot dark energy all  
over the place and hit all of the senshi. He went for another attack but  
Sailor Venus countered. "VenusCrescentCrossCrush!" When the dragon realized  
what was happening he brought his widespread attack into one beam to meet  
Sailor Venus. At first Sailor Venus was able to hold her own but then the  
dragon began to overpower her. "What am I going to do?" she cried.  
  
"You need to resummon your cross," Haiku instructed, "But continue with the  
beam at the same time."  
  
"How do I do that?"  
  
"Just focus and do it quickly."  
  
"Alright. Venus Crescent Cross." Very quickly, as not to weaken her attack,  
she swung her arms back and forward again to form another cross.  
  
"Now," Haiku said, "Everyone attack the cross."  
  
"Mars Flaming Inferno Blaze."  
  
"Jupiter Lightning Wave Shock."  
  
Haiku held out her hand (That actually held her crystal but no one could  
see), and shot a beam of energy from it. Sailor Venus' cross was flashing  
all kinds of different colours. "Send it now." Haiku called.  
  
Sailor Venus shot the powered up cross through her own beam of energy. It  
easily went right through the dragon's beam and into himself. "CRUSH!" With  
a blast of energy there was a great big explosion and the dragon blew up.  
All that was left was a single scale, that wasn't even above anyone, that  
floated down to Sailor Venus. She attached it to her back bow. "When will  
those chaos dragons realize that you can't get away with taking over  
settlements."  
  
Before the senshi left the village, they took down the announcement from  
Karn and replaced it with one of their own. When it was done it read: "The  
short rule of Karn the Great has ended. Now this city has to choose its own  
leader. It is true that the Creator has been disabled for a time, but it  
could end anytime. Enjoy these times now.  
  
The Sailor Senshi"  
  
And below that was the message: "If you crave the old times, or something  
better, meet your destiny at The Gathering. If your cause is true, when the  
sky turns green, you will find your way to Crescent Island.  
  
The Gatherer."  
  
***** 


	11. Episode 10: Mountain Rescue

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 10 'Mountain Rescue'  
  
As it turned out, Makoto had her own boat, so they didn't have to go looking  
for the one that Ami was planning on sending back. It was not exactly the  
most seaworthy ship but it got the senshi to their destination, the outskirts of the   
mountain region. It took them a couple of days to find the underwater passage,   
on their fourth time around the region. They found it to be only about three feet in   
diameter, about 10 feet below the water's surface. It was marked with an arrow   
pointing down that was carved in to the rock. After they had gotten into their scuba gear,  
Haiku put all of their equipment, food and their packs, into air bubbles.  
"Why didn't you just do that for us?" Rei asked.  
  
"We have no idea how long this cavern is, and this type of air bubble sucks  
the air out so we can take the stuff with us. These air packs we're  
strapping to our backs should have at least 4 hours of air, and I doubt  
we'll need that much. If we haven't reached anything in 2 hours we'll turn  
around and come back. After nailing their ship to the rock, they jumped into  
the water. They slowly descended, taking things as they came since none of  
them had actually done this before. One by one they entered the cavern.  
  
It very quickly grew dark, so they switched on their lights that they had  
strapped to the backs of their hands. It was a tight squeeze, and as soon as  
they were all in, the entrance to the cavern colapsed, blocking any way of  
going back. Even if they could have gone back it wouldn't have done much  
good because the nail that was in the mountain slid out and the hole filled  
up. The ship floated away.  
  
After about ten minutes the cavern got even smaller, giving them an even  
harder time of fitting through. It was scary. If at any point the cavern  
suddenly got very narrow one of them could have gotten stuck very easily.  
After about half an hour the cavern widened back out. Then they entered a  
very big cavern. There were crystals all over the walls and roof. Haiku  
motioned not to touch any of them. It was quite beautiful, the way the  
crystals reflected their lights. As they went farther into the cavern there  
began to be less and less crystals. Then at one point the crystals just  
stopped. What took their place was multiple feet of moss. It was like the  
cavern had living walls. There were fish swimming in and out of them. The  
walls of moss were even moving. 'Gross,' Haiku thought.  
  
Luckily, that part of the cavern was really short. Unfortunately they had to  
go through a hole in the moss to get to the next cavern. They had to swerve  
back and forth through the moss and it turned out to be a lot longer than  
they had thought. Eventually it led into a regular rock tunnel leading up.  
This tunnel had quite a bit of space in it. In a few minutes the tunnel  
pointed forwards again. After they had passed through it they found  
themselves falling. It seems that the water from that tunnel shot out of a  
wall into a little pond. Only it was a 50 foot drop, and the surface of the  
water was only one foot from the bottom. Needless to say, the landing hurt.  
  
They managed to walk away with just cuts, scrapes and bruises. They ripped  
off their masks as soon as they could. "Jeez, I thought we'd never get out  
of there." They were in a pond about 1 foot deep. All of the water was  
clear, and it seemed that the water was absorbed into the rock. All around  
them were rock walls. But unlike the ones on the edge of the region. These  
ones actually looked climbable. On one side of the pond was a ledge. They  
waded over to it and changed out of their diving gear. They decided to leave  
the gear here as it would only weigh them down while they were climbing.  
Next, they strapped on their packs and the rock climbing gear.  
  
From the ledge to the top seemed to be the shortest route to climb so they  
took it. Haiku, then Minako, Makoto, and Rei. Haiku had had some training in  
mountain climbing and so had Minako. They managed to reach the top with only  
a few slips. At the top, was the other side of the wall to scale down. But  
first they took a look at the region. Unfortunately, all they could see were  
a bunch of mountains, and the top of the Control Point towering over all of  
the mountains. So they repelled down the other side.  
  
Rei led them along a rocky path, in between two mountains. It was a lot  
easier than trying to climb over. At some points they had to squeeze  
through. But after that they were through. Now there were a lot less  
mountains in between them and the Control Point. They decided to climb the  
next mountain. It wasn't too difficult. It was more like a hill; it was one  
of the smaller mountains. In about an hour, they had reached the top. They  
were stunned by what they saw below. It was a valley, and I do mean was.  
Everything of it was dead. And in the middle, were ten nega-essences. "Oh  
no."  
  
They all turned away from the edge. "What do we do now?" Minako asked.  
  
"I don't know," Haiku said. "But where are the blood hounds?"  
  
Rei took another look into the valley. "There's a ring of them around the  
bottom of the valley, and we passed through another ring when we went  
through that path in between the mountains."  
  
"What are they?" Makoto asked.  
  
"They're called nega-essences. They drain energy. The blood hounds look like  
wolves, only worse. They're a dark red colour so blood doesn't show up on  
their fur. They're the scouts for the nega-essences."  
  
"I think that each of your powers will work once on each creature. Then the  
creatures will be able to absorb your powers. Don't worry about the blood  
hounds, anything will take them out. I think we should circle around them,  
along the top of the mountain."  
  
"Uh Haiku, the outer ring of blood hounds is now moving inwards, towards  
us."  
  
"What?" Haiku looked over at where she saw the blood hounds and they were  
gone. Farther down they were running down the mountain.  
  
"Jeez those things can move fast."  
  
"Okay, change that plan. At the other side of the clearing down below  
there's a cave. It's too small for the nega-essences to pass through, but I  
think we can."  
  
"You think we can?"  
  
"Just transform." Sailor Mars brought out her power stick and Makoto and  
Minako went back to back.  
  
"Jupiter Eternal,"  
"Venus Eternal,"  
"Unite!"  
  
"Mars Eternal, Unite!"  
  
The senshi ran straight down the mountain towards the group of  
nega-essences. They slipped in between rocks and outcrops so that they  
wouldn't be seen. Before the blood hounds knew it, the senshi were through  
their defences. The senshi started to let out tiny blasts of energy to take  
out the blood hounds that approached them and Haiku cut them down with her  
sword from behind. The senshi circled around the nega-essences. Sailor Mars  
let out a super heat wave that gave the nega-essences serious burns, and  
burned up a lot of tentacles. A couple were wounded so badly that they tried  
to suck energy out of the others. It allowed the senshi to get themselves  
circled around to the side of the valley with the cave.  
  
Sailor Mars and Haiku ran up ahead, as now neither of them could do any harm  
to the nega-essence. They picked off any blood hounds that approached them.  
"Sailor Venus. Your turn," Sailor Jupiter said.  
  
"Right. Venus Crescent Cross...." She waited until the cross was in the  
center of all of the nega-essences. "CRUSH!" The sphere of energy cut in and  
out of all of them, seriously damaging about 5 of them. Haiku and Sailor Mars  
reached the cave first and hurried inside. It was so small they had to get  
down and crawl through. Sailor Venus followed. Sailor Jupiter turned back to  
the nega-essence.  
  
"Jupiter Lightning Wave Capture." A cage of lightning formed around the  
nega-essences. Sailor Jupiter hurried into the cave. Once she was in, she  
set a wall of lightning over the entrance. She then hurried on with her  
friends, through the cave. They moved for a while through the cave. When the  
entrance was out of sight and there was no sign of pursuit, Sailor Jupiter  
called up that there wasn't. They all stopped and passed messages back and  
forth. "I think they're stopped for now," Sailor Jupiter said.  
  
"Good," replied Haiku at the front, "I see a little hole of light just up  
ahead and I want the rest of you to stay here for a sec."  
  
"But what if you need our help?"  
  
"Then I'll come back for it. If it's something dangerous I want us to be  
able to get away as fast as we can."  
  
"As if there was anything that we could get away to without being in more  
danger," Sailor Mars muttered. Haiku crawled forward up to the hole and  
peeked through. It was nice to see light. She was surprised to what she saw  
inside. It was a small cavern, with a few candles around the edges. It was  
some kind of kid playhouse. There were toys all over the floor and three  
kids playing in it. On the far wall there was a small crawl-through entrance  
which probably led outside. Haiku didn't say anything in fear of scaring  
them away. The passage between where she was and the cavern was piled up  
with rocks, and if done the right way, could easily be removed. Haiku backed  
up back through the tunnel to the others.  
  
"What is it?" Sailor Mars asked.  
  
"It appears to be a children's cave. You know, like a secret fort. There are  
three young children inside. What the hole is, is a hole in a poorly made  
blockade. The other side of the cavern probably leads outside. A little ways  
back there was a little bit of a bulge in the tunnel we're in. I'd like to  
go back to that and I want Sailor Venus to come up here with me."  
  
So they went back a little ways in the tunnel. Sailor Venus first squeezed  
passed Sailor Mars. In the middle they got a little stuck. But after sliding  
back and forth for a while and pulling and pushing they got past each other.  
Sailor Venus had an easy time passing Haiku because she was smaller than  
Mars. "Rei and Makoto, you should transform back out of your sailor fukus  
and Minako, you should switch back as soon as you've blasted away the  
barrier."  
  
"Okay." The senshi all together moved up to the hole in the wall. Sailor  
Venus looked through it. There were two girls and a boy, all within a few  
years of age among each other. They were drawing in some sand that they had  
brought in to the cave.  
  
"Excuse me," Sailor Venus said. The children looked up in shock. Wondering  
where the voice could have come from.  
  
The oldest, at about 8 years old asked, "Who's there. What do you want?"  
  
"Could you darlings move over to the entrance of the cave. I wouldn't want  
you to get hurt." Probably from fear the kids hurried over to the door. But  
they were all trying to get out at the same time so they weren't getting  
anywhere.  
  
"Darlings?" Rei asked from behind. "What kind of name is that?"  
  
"A friendly one," Sailor Venus called back. She put her finger to the rock  
and concentrated. At her finger, energy started to swirl around. It kept on  
spinning until it formed a cross, and then stopped. The cross expanded into  
the 3-d block, expanding to the other side of the barrier. Then a hole  
opened up in the center of the cross and grew until the barrier was gone.  
The power of the cross stayed in a ring around the tunnel. It stirred up a  
great amount of dust so no one could see anything. Sailor Venus powered down  
and crawled through the hole. She sat off to the side, as she was followed  
by Haiku, Rei, and Makoto.  
  
One of the younger children, who wouldn't have known better ran towards the  
hole that they came through. "All right, a new tunnel!"  
  
Haiku caught his arm before he could go in and pulled him back. "I don't  
advise you go in there. We were running away from some bad creatures."  
  
Minako put her hands over the tunnel. "I'll take care of it." She placed a  
finger at the middle of the passage and the ring around the sides shot  
towards her finger so that now it was around it. As the ring grew smaller,  
the barrier was replaced. Finally she pulled out her finger and the ring  
closed on itself, closing the little hole.  
  
The small room was pretty cramped with the four senshi and the three children in it now.  
Haiku turned to the older girl. "Hello, my name is Haiku. This is Minako,  
Rei, and Makoto. Could you tell us where we are?"  
  
The little boy who was still in the middle of the room spoke up. "You're in  
our secret fort. Please get out. Please don't hurt us."  
  
"I mean what's outside. Is there a village anywhere? We're from outside the  
mountains, and we have never been here before. Don't worry we're not going  
to hurt you."  
  
"But Mama said that no one could come to our village from the outside.  
She'll want to meet you." The girl went outside and was followed by the girl  
who was slightly younger than her and the little boy. This tunnel was even  
smaller than the other one and the girls had to lay down and pull themselves  
through. It was still a very tight squeeze. Outside was a field. Across to  
the other side of it were some trees. The girl spoke up. "My name is Karen.  
This is my sister, Tina, and my brother, Henry. Now come on we have to hurry  
across the field. It isn't protected." The children started to run across  
the field. The girls followed.  
  
Suddenly from above them dropped a nega-essence. "Oh no. A draining thing.  
Run!" The children turned around and ran the other way, but the nega-essence  
was fast. It shot out tentacles and grabbed them quickly. It started  
draining them.  
  
"Will our powers work against it Haiku?" Rei asked.  
  
"I don't think it's one we've faced before. And it's only a child. Much  
smaller than the others we fought."  
  
"Mars Eternal, Unite!"  
"Jupiter Eternal,"  
"Venus Eternal,"  
"...Unite!"  
  
"If we all use our powers together we should be able to defeat it  
completely. Mars Flaming Inferno Blaze!" Sailor Mars shot fire at the  
nega-essence that engulfed it. Its tentacles let go of the kids and shot  
back to its body. Sailor Mars kept up her onsault.  
  
"Jupiter Lightning Wave Shock!" Sailor Jupiter shot lightning at the  
creature and it began to disappear.  
  
"It's working! Venus Crescent Cross ...Crush!" As Venus' sphere shot back  
out of the nega-essence there was a gigantic explosion that knocked all of  
the senshi off of their feet. When next they looked there was nothing left.  
"Yeah!" Sailor Venus cheered.  
  
Sailor Mars pointed to the mountains they had just come from. "If that was a  
child, I think here come its parents." Over the top of the mountains, the  
senshi could see two REALLY big nega-essences coming. Way bigger than any  
that they had fought before.  
  
"I think we better get out of here," Haiku said. "Grab the children and lets  
get out of here!" It had not taken the young nega-essence very long to drain  
the kids. Haiku grabbed Karen, Sailor Venus grabbed Tina and Sailor Mars  
grabbed Henry. Sailor Jupiter shot a temporary cage around the approaching  
nega-essences. As they ran across the field, Karen began to wake up. Haiku  
spoke to her quickly. "Is there anywhere where we can hide? We need to get  
out of here."  
  
Karen struggled to keep conscious. "Over ...in the trees ...is our  
village... ...shield there ...will protect us." Karen slipped back into  
unconsciousness.  
  
"Head for the trees," Haiku called. Haiku handed Karen off to Sailor Jupiter  
because the senshi could move much faster than her. She ran behind them as  
fast as she could. As they neared the forest, the nega-essences really began  
to catch up. Sailor Venus reached the trees first. As she reached them there  
was a sparkling tingle in the the air around her. Then Sailor Jupiter and  
Mars. Just as a nega-essence reached out a tentacle, Haiku passed through  
the shield.  
  
The nega-essences crashed into the shield and fell to the ground. Then they  
were shocked by energy which resulted in them to hurry away while screaming  
in pain.  
  
The senshi watched them go and then went into the forest. Actually, it was  
just a border of trees. After they had walked for a little bit the trees  
opened up into a valley in between the mountains. In the valley were  
hundreds of little houses made out of stone. Ahead of them, just over  
another mountain was the Command Point. Just ahead of them were gates into  
the city. Unless it was over the next mountain, there was no Command City in  
this region. There were already people coming out of their houses, as  
nega-essences scream very loudly when they are in pain.  
  
As they entered the gates a woman came up to them. "Oh dear, what happened  
to them. Who are you?"  
  
"Don't worry," Haiku assured. "They've just have their energy drained."  
  
"Oh I told them not to go outside the borders. But where are you from? What  
do you want?"  
  
"We'll explain everything. Let's get the children taken care of first." the  
woman led them to one of the houses. By now they had gathered quite a crowd.  
All kinds of people were asking questions. The senshi followed Haiku's lead  
and ignored them. The houses were made half above ground and half below.  
When the children were laid down the senshi came back outside. Haiku spoke  
to the people.  
  
"Hello. My name is Haiku. These are the sailor senshi; Mars, Venus, and  
Jupiter."  
  
"But how did you get here? There is no way to get into our region. Only one  
other has and they wouldn't tell us how."  
  
"There is an underwater passage into the region. It would be very hard to go  
back through it, but it is quite easy to go from outside to in here. But you  
need not worry. There are very few people who know about it, so you are safe  
from outside threats. Now that you know something of us, could you tell me  
some of your history?" No one from resistance had managed to get this far into  
the region, and any planes that tried to make it over the outer wall were shot down.  
  
An elderly man stepped forward. "I am the chief of these people. Welcome to  
Rashka. In this village we are protected from the Negessences. At the end of  
the darkness, many people found their way here. Life was pretty good. But  
then the negessences came. What they would do would be to come every so  
often and drain our energy. But, they'd leave enough energy so that we could  
recover, and come back another day. Then there were two people, who  
discovered the strands of magic, and how to use them. They found that the  
strands were extremely dangerous and if they just fought the negessences  
when they came the backlash would kill them. So, they gathered all of the  
magic they could, and stood at opposite sides of the village. That is where  
they released all of the built up magic and their own life energy to form  
the shield. The only problem was that they turned themselves to stone  
because if the magic energy from the strands of magic left the shield would  
disappear. Because the power of the strands of magic is infinite the shield  
always stays there. Because of that we are safe of the negessences."  
  
Haiku thanked the man. "I have a message. 'If you crave the old times, or  
something better, then meet your destiny at The Gathering. If you're cause  
is true, when the sky turns green, you will find you're way to Crescent  
Island."  
  
"What will happen?"  
  
"The messiah will come and the lives of the Creators will be cut short. Now,  
off with that, you said that someone else also came here. Who was it?"  
  
"Well, she was wearing a similar uniform as you, I think she said she said  
she was from Uranus or something. She didn't really explain."  
  
"Good. Now where is she now?"  
  
"At the far side of the village is a temple. A temple that is our job to  
guard. All we know of it is that it has the symbols of three of the outer  
planets on it. She went there. She left just before you got here."  
  
"Good. We're just in time. Could you show us where the temple is? We really  
need her help."  
  
"Certainly. Follow me." The senshi followed the man across the village, with  
a whole bunch of villagers behind. "I don't really know what you can do. It  
says only the princess and her court can enter. We've tried all kinds of  
different things to get in without success."  
  
"We are members of the princess' court."  
  
The temple was fairly small. All it was was a building with double doors on  
the front. On the doors were the symbols of Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune. To  
the sides of the doors was writing on the walls. Suddenly the man stopped  
within ten feet of the temple. "The shield ends here. I wish you luck on  
whatever you are going to do."  
  
"Thank you," Haiku said. "Now come on guys, I have a feeling that Sailor  
Uranus is going to need our help." The doors of the temple opened easily for  
the senshi. In front of them was a stairway that they hurried up. At the top  
they came to a platform. At the other side of the room was a pedestal with  
the artifact on it. Sailor Uranus was there, reaching for it. "Uranus,"  
Haiku called. Sailor Uranus turned back.  
  
"Huh? ....so you're okay. Now with this I'll be able to find Michiru after all this  
time."  
  
"But we already know where she is. She's on an island in the middle of the  
ocean."  
  
"She is? That's good. But we'll still need this to reach our full power."  
Sailor Uranus reached for the medallion. As soon as she touched it, it  
flashed in power and turned into the space sword, the deep sea mirror and  
the garnet orb. When she touched the sword the other two talismen  
disappeared. Suddenly the ground started to shake. The walls of the temple  
fell out and the platform they were on started to rise. It rose high, high  
into the sky. When it stopped, people were just tiny specks below. Then from  
the hole where the temple was, a dragon emerged. It was a tan colour. "What  
is that?!"  
  
"It's a chaos dragon." The dragon was taking its time to fly up to where  
they were. Suddenly a nega-essence flew up to them.  
  
"Not another one of these nuisances," Sailor Uranus muttered. "Uranus Meteor  
Comets!" Sailor Uranus moved forward and brought her hands up into the air.  
A ball of energy formed in them. Then she brought her hands down and threw  
the ball of energy at the nega-essence. As she brought her arms down she  
finished saying 'comets' The energy knocked the nega-essence back. Then  
meteors began to appear out of nowhere and pummelled the beast. In a very  
short time the nega-essence was destroyed. Then the dragon flew up to them.  
Sailor Uranus repeated the attack but the meteors just bounced off of the  
dragon. "No! Now what?!"  
  
"I am the Chaos Dragon of Soil! You have no chance against me!" The  
dragon shocked the senshi with dark energy.  
  
Sailor Venus ran over to Uranus. "You need to focus all of your attack into  
a single beam."  
  
"No," Haiku called. "Haruka, use the sword."  
  
Sailor Uranus made the space sword appear. "Uranus Space Sword Meteor  
Comets!" This time in her attack when she threw the ball of energy at the  
dragon the space sword was in her hands. The additional power of the sword  
changed the attack. The ball of energy shot up into the air, and then tons  
of streaming comets showered onto the beast. It melted its scales that were  
protecting it. Then when the meteors began, the chaos dragon had no chance.  
All that was left was a tan coloured scale which floated down to Sailor  
Uranus. "What do I do with this?" she asked.  
  
"Just attach it to your back bow like me." She did so.  
  
Suddenly the platform they were on started to shake. Now that the dragon  
wasn't holding it in the sky it was going to fall. "Oh no! The platform's  
going to fall." On the horizon something was speeding towards them at an  
incredible speed. In a few seconds it was at the platform. It was Haiku's  
spaceship! Only now it had side doors, which opened immediately, and  
permanent wings. Haiku and Minako recognized it immediately and went through  
the door. "There are seats in the back," Ami called from the cockpit.  
  
"No there aren't," Haiku called back.  
  
"There are now." Sailor Venus went back to where she and Haiku had been, and  
sure enough, now there were seats there instead. She sat down. Haiku went up  
to the cockpit. All of the other senshi piled into the back. In the cockpit,  
there were still three seats. One next to the controls and two just behind.  
Ami sat in the front seat and Prof. Rinkvle was in one of the ones back a  
little. After Haiku sat down, he reached out and shook her hand. "Hi. I'm  
Prof. Rinkvle. You have a fine ship here."  
  
"Yeah, okay. Ami, everyone's in. Let's get out of here. You have great  
timing."  
  
"Alright, here we go." Just as the platform fell, the ship took off. A few shots came  
streaming out of the Command Point but Ami was able to dodge them easily.  
  
"I think we have some explaining to do. It's good to have you back Ami."  
  
"Professor Rinkvle, would you take the controls please?" Ami asked, "Just  
hover for a while away from any Command Points."  
  
Ami and Haiku went back to where the other senshi were. Now they had all  
transformed out of their fukus. Haruka spoke up. "So you actually met  
Michiru? She's okay?"  
  
"Yeah, but she thinks you're dead." Haiku answered.  
  
"Exactly how long ago was that?" asked Minako.  
  
"Why? ...I don't know, let's see, ....I'd say, three weeks on the dot. Ami?"  
  
"Yeah that'd be right. Why do you want to know Minako?"  
  
"In how much time did Michiru say she was getting married?"  
  
" Three weeks," Haiku answered. For a second no one said anything.  
Then, "Ami, set a course for Dohilne Island. I guess Haruka, that our  
introductions are going to have to wait." Ami and Haiku returned to the  
cockpit and their ship sped off towards Dohilne. Would they be in time? 


	12. Episode 11: Finally Reunited

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 11 'Finally Reunited'  
  
"Oh Michiru, your wedding is going to be so great. I'm so jealous of you."  
  
Michiru, who was staring into a mirror, had her mind elsewhere. Coming back  
she just answered, "Uh, yeah." A while back she would never have thought  
about this happening. Was she making a mistake, giving up hope? She hoped  
the senshi would come, but they were probably off saving the world  
somewhere. Maybe she should have gone with them. But still, she had had a  
feeling of returning power just less than an hour ago. Something was going  
to happen.  
  
"Come on Michiru, let's go." Michiru had herself led out of the room.  
  
***  
  
Haruka was up in the cockpit now because she was so anxious. "Can't we go  
any faster?"  
  
"Well," Ami said. " You can press this button so that our speed will  
increase.  
  
Haruka pressed the button. The ship accelerated so quickly that she went  
flying back to where the others were.  
  
***  
  
In the little church they didn't have a pipe organ so the people gathered  
there had to hum the tune for the wedding along with some makeshift musical instruments.  
Kengi wanted a traditional western wedding. Michiru walked down the aisle...  
  
***  
  
The ship landed in the middle of Dohilne. the cockpit window opened and  
Haruka, who had returned to the cockpit, jumped out. She ran towards the  
sound of voices humming the wedding tune to a small church.  
  
***  
  
"If there's anyone who thinks this bonding should not be, speak up now,"  
Haruka came bursting through the doors. She ran down a short hall while the  
minister was saying "Or forever hold your peace."  
  
"I do!" Haruka said. Everyone in the church turned to look at her. "Haruka!"  
Michiru gasped. "But you're-" Suddenly the roof of the church was ripped  
off. A giant bird flew down and ate the groom.[How convenient! :)] Michiru  
and Haruka's eyes met.  
  
"Neptune Eternal, Unite!"  
"Uranus Eternal, Unite!"  
"Neptune Water, Craze Tornado, Strike!"  
"Uranus Meteor Comets!"  
  
Just before the two balls of energy hit the bird they merged into one. The  
bird disappeared in a swirl of blue and with multiple meteors flying into  
it. The others came into the room and Michiru and Haruka changed back.  
  
"We saw it. It came from the last island." Murmurs of fear shot through the  
room.  
  
One person spoke up, "There must be something controlling the monsters  
there."  
  
"Then we'll just have to go stop it, whatever it is!" exclaimed Haruka. "We  
have the most part of the senshi, and I'd rather not have the Saturn power  
awoken unless we absolutely need it." The senshi returned outside to find  
their ship in two pieces.  
  
Ami hit a building. "Darn! This is going to take at least a week to fix."  
  
"Then we're just going to have to walk." Haiku said. "And anyway, if we took  
the ship, then whoever was there would definitely see us coming."  
  
So after packing a little bit of food the senshi left the village. "We want  
to get there as soon as we can. Who knows what is going on on that island,  
or what the creatures there are going to do. The senshi ran off.  
  
Haruka and Michiru were running next to each other. "Oh Haruka, I thought  
you were dead. What happened? You died in my arms..."  
  
"Well yes, I guess I was dead for a few minutes, but what Setsuna did, saved  
me. When she binded us to the planet, once the change of the world had  
begun, it took effect. It guaranteed that we'd make it through the darkness  
and meet back up later. I woke up in the Volcanic Region. I didn't see any  
sign of life and it was pretty dangerous there so I left. I built a pathetic  
little boat that only made it across the ocean because it was the time of  
the darkness. During that time the water didn't move even a bit so  
travelling went pretty slow. I got to watch quite a bit of the world form  
out on the ocean. I reached Toria. From there I 'acquired' a good boat and  
I've been searching for you ever since. I found the temple where Setsuna had  
put the artifact the was talisman combined so now we have them returned."  
  
"So that's what I felt."  
  
"What about you? What happened to you?"  
  
"I woke up on Dohilne Island. Scouts sent to the mainlands reported that the  
world was not in very good shape and advised that we stay out of it. So I've  
spent the whole time here. But now I'm with you so we can be happy again  
once this is all over."  
  
Minako came up beside them and they dropped back a little back. "So,  
Minako," Haruka asked, "Who is this girl Haiku? I don't trust her."  
  
"I don't know a whole bunch about her past. I know that she spent six months  
training for this mission."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"To gather all of us. When she's done, "The Gathering" is supposed to take  
place. Its where we take on the Creators. Somehow, the good people of the  
world are going to help us. I think there's something more to The Gathering.  
There's something more important happening there besides the battle. Haiku  
said that the 'Messiah' is going to arrive."  
  
"Sailor Moon?"  
  
"We can only hope. And then there's the fact that Haiku seems so familiar,  
but we can't figure out who she is. It's so frustrating. All I can really be  
sure about her is that we can trust her. She saved my life more than once,  
starting way back when she saved me first. The only thing I'm not sure about  
is how Setsuna is going to come to us, or if she even can."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Setsuna was captured in the same place as I was. A flying fortress. We  
transported out before the ship crashed but she didn't make it. That was  
over at the other side of the Universe."  
  
"Don't worry. Just like Michiru and I, because of what we did with our  
talismen she'll live, and meet up with us again. And now she even has her  
talisman back. She has power over time beyond imagination. She'll be okay."  
The three of them caught up with the others.  
  
"Haiku, do you know what those chaos dragons are and what these scales are  
for?"  
  
"Well, actually, yes I do have a little bit of an idea. In theory, they were  
created from the dark half of your power when rebirth occurred. There are  
eight of them in all, one for each planet. It seems that only the senshi it  
was created from can defeat it."  
  
"But what if we run in to the dragon created from the Saturn power?"  
  
"Well so far it seems that the dragons have only been attacking our little  
group, and only when the appropriate senshi is present. I don't think  
there's much chance of running into it, but I'd count on meeting Jupiter's  
and Mercury's dragons sometime in the near future. As for the scales, I have  
no idea what they're for. But I'm sure we'll find out. All I can tell you is  
that there is no trace of dark energy left in them. In fact, they're full of  
completely the opposite. Actually it's not the Saturn dragon I'm worried  
about, but the chaos dragon of Earth."  
  
"But there isn't any senshi of Earth."  
  
"I know, I think it's a combination of all of the powers put together, and  
combined with power of the moon. But, I don't think we'll run into it until  
all of the other dragons are beaten, and after The Gathering."  
  
The senshi spent the rest of the day, and most of the next day travelling  
from island to island. They ended up swimming between them. At about mid  
afternoon they were looking across the water to the last island. It  
consisted of a forest surrounding a hill, with a fortress on top of the  
hill." On an inspection by Haiku it was found that all of the strands of  
magic running through it were infected with dark energy and they could only  
be used by someone truly evil, or just control some dark powers. Worse yet,  
it was some kind of virus and was spreading outwards from the island. Haiku  
set temporary blocks around the island that were undetectable so that the  
virus would be contained for a little while. They spent the remainder of the  
daylight sleeping and eating. When it was twilight they swam across the  
water to the island. It had to be at least ten degrees cooler on the new  
island.  
  
"Mercury Eternal, Unite!"  
"Mars Eternal, Unite!"  
"Jupiter Eternal,"  
"Venus Eternal, Unite!"  
"Uranus Eternal, Unite!"  
"Neptune Eternal, Unite!"  
  
Haiku pulled a black cloak out of her pack and attached it at her shoulders.  
She wrapped it around herself. "Dark cloak activate!" The cloak flashed  
white and then faded away. Haiku just seemed to get darker. You had to  
concentrate to see her. It was as if she was in the shadows, even if she  
wasn't.  
  
"Nice trick."  
  
"It also allows me to move quickly and softly like you can as senshi."  
  
The senshi slipped through the forest unnoticed. There were even sentries  
that they passed. They didn't see the senshi and the senshi didn't see them.  
Except Haiku. Haiku led them through the forest, around to behind the  
fortress. To get to where the fortress was, one of them had to climb up a  
vertical wall. When they got to it, a rope was tossed up and melted to the  
rock. With their hands on the rope, the senshi were able to take a couple  
steps up the wall and then fling themselves up to the top. When they were  
all up, they burned the rope so well that there weren't any ashes or smoke.  
The senshi were split into two groups. One to scale up the outside wall of  
the fortress, and one to sneak through the inside. They were to meet at the  
top. Group 1 consisted of Haiku, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars. Group 2  
consisted of Neptune and Uranus. Group 1 circled around the side of the  
fortress while Group 2 attached ropes to the walls.  
  
Haiku found a sewage exhaust that hadn't been used yet and went in there.  
She followed it to a part where the tube just went straight up. Bracing  
themselves to the sides of the tube the senshi climbed up it. At the second  
outbranch Haiku turned in to it. The hole came up into an empty room. The  
way the hole was placed it seemed that it was a cell. The cell was unlocked.  
The senshi then slipped into the ventilation system. They followed it up  
many floors until they couldn't go any farther. They got out of it at the  
top of a flight of stairs. At the bottom there were guards. Haiku estimated  
that they were one floor below the one they wanted to be on. At the end of  
the hallway there was a staircase. At the top of the staircase were a couple  
of shadows.  
  
"BLAZE!"  
  
"FREEZE!"  
  
They were easily removed.  
  
********  
  
The wind howled around Sailor Uranus and Neptune as they climbed up the side  
of the fortress. They were a few feet from the roof when Sailor Neptune  
slipped. Sailor Uranus just managed to grab her hand before she fell. She  
swung her over to a platform they had just passed and dropped down after  
her. Actually, it was more like a balcony, with two shadows standing watch  
beside the door inside. They were taken care of in a sec. Sailor Uranus and  
Neptune ran through the door and up a flight of stairs. They met the other  
senshi at the top. Together they turned and went up the one final flight of  
stairs. At the top they entered a room that was completely dark. They  
couldn't see anything. After they were all up, a trap door closed over the  
stairs so there was no way back. Then the area around them lit up. They were  
surrounded by about 40 shadows that had mechanical body parts. "ELIMINATE  
THEM, SHADOW-MECHS," a voice boomed.  
  
Sailors Mars and Mercury were able to take out most of them because their  
attacks could fire over a large area. Sailor Jupiter formed a cage of  
lightning around them and shot it outwards, taking care of whatever was  
left. While no one was paying attention to her, Haiku slipped off to the  
side and was completely camoflagued in the dark.  
  
All was quiet. Then there was clapping. The senshi turned to see a man  
standing off to the side. "Congradulations. I knew you could do it. I see  
you have defeaten my brothers. Even if it is my fate to perish, I won't go  
without a fight. "REVERT TRUEFORM!" The man stepped forward. Then he morphed  
into the Thunder chaos dragon. "EEEEEEEIIIIIAAAAAA!" It screamed and let  
loose dark energy into the ceiling of the room. Then the energy travelled to  
the center of the room and bombarded the senshi. They scattered.  
  
Sailor Jupiter threw her hands back and then together in front of her.  
"Jupiter Lightning Wave Shock!" Sailor Jupiter shot a beam of energy at the  
dragon. Surprisingly quickly the dragon melted away. It didn't even put up a  
fight. "That was easy," she commented as she received her dark  
green-coloured scale.  
  
"OF COURSE IT WAS EASY." A new voice said. This time, female. "I ALREADY  
DRAINED MOST OF MY PATHETIC BROTHER'S ENERGY TO FORM THIS FORTRESS, AND FOR  
MY OWN USE. HE IS NOT WHO YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT." At another  
side of the room another light lit up over a throne. There was a woman  
sitting in it, in a long black gown. "NOW YOU WILL MEET, THE REAL TERROR."  
She stepped forward off of the throne and to the floor. A beam of dark light  
shone down on her and she was lifted through the ceilling.  
  
"Uh oh. This better not be what I think it is." Sailor Uranus said. "Can we  
handle it?"  
  
The ceilling and walls of the room melted away. They were now open to the  
outside. The wind threatened to blow them away. A large form dropped from  
above and on to the platform. It was twenty feet tall and showered the  
senshi with dark energy.  
  
"I AM DEATH ITSELF. I AM THE CHAOS DRAGON OF SILENCE. YOU HAVE NO CHANCE  
AGAINST ME. SURRENDER NOW AND I'LL MAKE YOUR DEATH QUICK AND PAINLESS."  
  
"Never! Uranus, Space Sword, Meteor Comets!"  
  
"Neptune Water, Deep Sea Reflected, Craze Tornado STRIKE!"  
  
The dragon flew out off of the fortress. Comets showered down on it from the  
Heavens, and a water tornado was tossed back and forth through the dragon.  
Then it was caught in the middle of the water twister and meteors crashed  
down on it. When everything was clear the dragon was still flying there, not  
even a scratch on it. "WAS THAT IT?"  
  
"No way!"  
  
"There's no way it could have survived that."  
  
"NOW YOU WILL COWWER BEFORE ME!" The dragon blasted Sailor Uranus and Sailor  
Neptune with dark energy from all directions at once. When he was done and  
the two senshi dropped, they were bleeding from a few wounds, and blood  
blisters were all over their bodies. they colapsed together, their energy  
drained, barely alive. "WHAT'S NEXT."  
  
"The only chance we have," Sailor Mercury said, "Is to try a sailor planet  
attack." The senshi held hands in a circle and simultaneously individually  
called upon their power.  
  
"Mercury Eternal,"  
"Mars Eternal,"  
"Jupiter Eternal,"  
"Venus Eternal,"  
"UNITE!!!!"  
  
In between the senshi a fantastic amount of energy gathered. It shot up as  
far as they could see. "SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!" Instead of shooting up into  
the air the attack curved and slammed into the dragon. The dragon fell back.  
  
"SUCH POWER, ...ALMOST A MATCH." The dragon countered with dark energy to  
keep the attack away from her. Then she shot dark energy out and into the  
sailors. They screamed and let go of each other's hands. The were left in a  
condition similar to Sailor Neptune and Uranus, and like them, still  
conscious.  
  
Haiku stood up and removed the power of the cape. She brightened back up and  
the cape appeared, which she tossed away. "SO YOU ARE THE GATHERER."  
  
"You do know that you will be stopped."  
  
"BY YOU?"  
  
"If necessary." Haiku opened her hand. Sitting in it was a crystal. It  
glowed and spread light in the dark night. "Light always removes the dark."  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?"  
  
"That is for me to know. Just me, for now, until the time is right. Until  
time chooses that it be known. The silence has been defeaten before."  
  
"NO. YOU'RE JUST STALLING ME. WHY? DIE!" From the mouth of the dragon came a  
shoot of dark energy. In both of her hands Haiku held the crystal in front  
of her. The dark energy shot off to the sides.  
  
"Now, perish!" Haiku shot a beam of light out of the crystal and into the  
dragon. The dragon fell back over the side of the fortress. Haiku turned her  
back to it. Her mistake, because the dragon flew back up. It shot a small,  
quick, arrow of dark energy at Haiku and it hit the crystal out of her  
hands. The crystal slid off across the floor. Haiku turned around to be  
blasted by dark energy. She stumbled back. Another blast brought her to her  
knees.  
  
"I'M GOING TO ENJOY KILLING YOU."  
  
As the dragon shot a blast of dark energy at Haiku, someone flew down,  
picked her up and flew away before the energy hit. The person came back  
around where the dragon was firing and set Haiku back down. Haiku turned  
around to see who saved her. "Hotaru....."  
  
It was Eternal Sailor Saturn, now at about age 17. The power of death is  
already eternal, and unlike the other senshi, her fuku hadn't changed.  
Except for the fact that she now had two giant black wings instead of a back  
bow. "WHAT IS THIS?"  
  
"Chibi-usa?" The spell was shattered. All of the senshi now recognized  
Haiku, as Chibi-usa, but from the future? And so much older..... Haiku and  
Sailor Saturn hugged. Sailor Saturn then turned to the dragon.  
  
"Your reign is over."  
  
"BUT HOW? YOU WERE JUST A CHILD."  
  
"I grew up. If you treasured your life you would have stayed hidden. There  
can be only one." Sailor Saturn pointed the silence glaive at the dragon.  
"Silent Destruction." At first nothing happened. Then the dragon slowly  
dissolved into nothing, without a sound. All that was left was a scale which  
floated down to Sailor Saturn. "Help them Chibi-usa."  
  
Chibi-usa recovered and held up the ginzuishou of the future. "Moon  
Healing..." For the moment, she only healed them enough so that they were  
all completely conscious and not in the immediate threat of dying.  
  
Sailor Saturn closed her eyes and held her arms out and up. She spoke  
softly. 'Saturn, dark elemental typhoon, erupt........' All around everyone  
the wind picked up. Lightning streaked across the sky. The ground started to  
shake. The forest below caught on fire and the winds grew even stronger.  
  
"What's going on?!" Sailor Mars screamed.  
  
"Sailor Saturn is destroying the island. Quickly, form a circle around her."  
The senshi slowly fought against the wind to make a circle around Sailor  
Saturn. Chibi-usa stood beside Saturn. It didn't help that they could barely  
move because they were in such bad shape.  
  
"Let's go back to Dohilne."  
  
"SAILOR TELEPORT!" The senshi were barely able to transport out of there,  
but they succeeded.  
  
They appeared in the center of Dohilne where the people were looking out  
across the water at the island. They were watching it go up in flames and  
the fortress fall apart. The senshi who were still wounded badly collapsed.  
  
Haiku aka Chibi-usa and Sailor Saturn stood watching the island sink into  
the ocean. "Did you really have to do that much?"  
  
"I'm not sure. There was a tremendous amount of dark energy stored there and  
there was also a virus that was affecting the strands of magic. It was the  
only way to make sure it would all be purified."  
  
"I guess I have some explaining to do." Chibi-usa sighed.  
  
"I don't know what's been happening, but from the intensity of that spell I  
looked through you must have really wanted your identity hidden. Do you have  
the power to heal them?"  
  
"Probably. I'll try." Chibi-usa held up the crystal above herself and her  
princess dress appeared. The bandana fell away revealing a shinning crescent  
moon. "Moon Healing." Energy from the crystal filled the senshi's bodies,  
healing their more serious wounds and restoring some of their energy.  
Chibi-usa's original clothes returned and she replaced the bandana. Everyone  
started to ask questions at the same time.  
"Everything will be explained later. Now, everyone, let's do another Sailor  
Teleport. There's somewhere we should all go to first."  
  
All of the senshi gathered in a circle holding hands, including Chibi-usa.  
"SAILOR TELEPORT!" All around the senshi the wind started to pick up and  
swirl about. "Now, everyone, just picture yourself somewhere else than this  
place and I'll do the rest." Chibi-usa instructed. The senshi lifted just  
off the ground and vanished.  
  
********** 


	13. Episode 12: The Gathering, Arrival of th...

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 1, The Gathering  
Episode 12 'The Gathering, Arrival of the Lost'  
  
The senshi appeared in a dome shaped room. On the floor was an eight pointed  
star with one of the planet signs at each point. In the middle was the  
symbol of the moon. "Where are we now?" Michiru asked immediately.  
  
Chibi-usa stepped away and towards a door. "I re-directed the teleport as  
this would be the best place for us to get all the facts straight. This is  
Resistance headquarters. Follow me." The senshi followed Chibi-usa down a  
hallway and into another room. This room had ten chairs around a table. On  
the table was steaming food. There was a man sitting at the table.  
  
"Just in time." he said. He leapt up and gave Sailor Venus a hug. "It's good  
to see you again Mina," he said. "I've missed you."  
  
"Oh Artemis, I missed you too."  
  
"This is Artemis?" Sailor Uranus asked.  
  
"Before we went to North America, Luna and Artemis found a way to become human."  
  
"Everything will be explained over dinner. Now everyone change back and sit  
down. This is going to take a while." The senshi transformed and spread  
themselves around the table. The food was great. "Now where should we start.  
Hmmmm, how about you Chibi-usa, they probably want to hear your story."  
  
"All right. And I prefer 'Haiku' much more so just stick with it." 'Hmmmm.  
How much should I tell them...' "I'm not even sure if Crystal Tokyo still  
exists but Neo-Queen Serenity was alright. A year after that my mother  
started to worry because Sailor Pluto would not come to her summons. Then,  
after another half of a year this sword appeared. It allowed me to travel  
back in time. By a stroke of luck I managed to get to Resistance. Then I  
spent 6 months training for this mission. You're right about The Gathering,  
it's not just a battle against the Creators, it's a summoning. We're going  
to bring Usagi and Mamoru and Luna back." Haiku stopped for a second, to let  
it sink in.  
  
"But why do you look so much older, and why didn't we recognize you?"  
  
"Well, the age has to do with this sword." she brought out the sword she  
always carried with herself. "It aged me about five years. And you didn't  
recognize me for a couple of reasons. One, was I left before the final  
battle. Because the world was ruined, there was a chance that Crystal Tokyo  
was gone too. Two, there was a spell cast on me. For some reason it was  
thought better that you didn't know who I was. At the time we figured it  
would be easier if we kept things simple. The spell enhanced the first  
reason."  
  
"Why didn't you transform when we were in trouble. It would have helped a  
lot."  
  
"Well, I kind of screwed that up. When I first arrived I tried the  
transformation. Everything worked great. The problem occurred when I tried  
to transform out. I kind of got stuck half in and half out. That's why the  
crescent moon is on my forehead."  
  
"Did you use the sword?" Hotaru asked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"When you transformed the sword must have increased your powers. I recognize  
some of the runes on the blade. They are runes that were used during the  
Silver Millenium. If you didn't use the sword to transform out, then of  
course some part of you would stay in the transformation."  
  
"Okay, I'll try it." Haiku held the sword out in front of her and  
concentrated. When she removed the bandana the moon was gone. "That's  
better."  
  
"How did you become seventeen from three years old Hotaru?"  
  
"The chaos dragon of silence came to be so the spirit of Saturn was  
summoned. Since I was too young to be a senshi it aged me again. In  
my eternal transformation I grew wings and I flew to help you as fast as I  
could."  
  
"What are we going to do now?"  
  
"Umm, I don't know. Artemis, what's the next part of our plan?" Haiku asked.  
  
"A little before you arrived we found the staging point for The Gathering.  
It's a platform out in the middle of the ocean. It has the eight-pointed  
star with the symbols of the senshi on it, and the moon in the center. I  
suggest you transport there. From there, you should be able to bring about  
Crescent Island. But for now, all of you look awful, you should get some  
rest. There are some rooms down the hall."  
  
"I can go for that."  
  
Haiku led the others down a bunch of different hallways. "Haiku," Ami asked,  
"Where exactly are we?"  
  
"We're on the ocean floor. It's the foundation of future Crystal Tokyo. From  
the outside it looks like a bunch of crystals and domes; a mixture of  
technology and magic. The reason there are some domes is because the  
crystals have to grow first. After the darkness this place just happened to  
start growing. This is where Artemis found himself when he woke up. Most of  
the common people of the world are unhappy so it wasn't hard to get some of  
them to come and help direct the building of the place." Haiku led them into  
a round room with about twenty rooms branching off from 5 hallways. "These  
will be the staff quarters of Crystal Tokyo. Pick a room." The girls  
scattered around and divided themselves throughout the many rooms. Each room  
was well furnished, with comfortable beds, chairs and shelves. There were  
also magical closets that produced the type of clothes that you wanted.  
Every room had its own bathroom. They all washed and changed into fresh  
clothing. All of them slept well that evening.  
  
*******  
  
"RED ALERT! RED ALERT! ALL PERSONNEL TO BATTLE STATIONS." Hotaru woke up to  
the sound of an alarm. She got out of bed and walked out of her room. There  
was about half a foot of water on the floor and it was slowly rising. The  
other senshi were already there. Like her, they weren't wearing a whole lot  
because they had been rushed out of bed. Artemis was running down the  
hallway towards them. Haiku ran to meet him. "What's going on?!"  
  
"It's the Creators. They must have traced the teleportation of all of you.  
There isn't much time. Transform and follow me to the transfer room.  
Hopefully it isn't under water because you all have to go straight to the  
Gathering location."  
  
"Mercury Eternal, Unite!"  
"Mars Eternal, Unite!"  
"Jupiter Eternal,"  
"Venus Eternal, Unite!"  
"Uranus Eternal, Unite!"  
"Neptune Eternal, Unite!"  
"Saturn Eternal...."  
  
They ran down the hallway. The water was about a foot high. "There are some  
hallways that have been completely submerged. We have them blocked off with  
forcefields that only block ocean water. I hope you don't mind having a  
little swim." The senshi jumped through a transparent wall into a section of  
the hall that was completely flooded. It was just a short swim to the next  
water blocker so they didn't have to hold their breath for very long. They  
ran down the next corridor, or rather swam down it because the water was now  
four feet deep.  
  
At last they reached the transfer room. "Just imagine the same floor as  
there is here, only with sky above." Artemis instructed as the spread out  
around the room.  
  
"But what about you?"  
  
"After you leave I'll activate a command that will transfer the whole  
Resistance complex underground. When the mission is complete, teleport back.  
  
The senshi gathered in a circle in the room. "SAILOR TELEPORT." As soon as  
they were gone Artemis transported from the transfer room to the control  
centre. After fiddling with some controls the whole underwater complex  
disappeared into the sand of the ocean floor. Once it was entirely under he  
brought up a status map of the complex and used magic to start repairs on  
various parts of it.  
  
The senshi appeared on a platform in the middle of the ocean. The platform  
was about twenty feet across with the familiar eight-pointed star engraved  
on it. Rising from the center of the crescent moon in the center of the  
platform was a pedestal with a small indent in it. The senshi took their  
places around the star. Haiku held up the ginzuishou of the future up in  
front of her and she shifted into her moon princess dress. She sat the  
ginzuishou in the indent in the pedestal. Light flashed from it to  
everywhere and then a beam shot up from the whole platform to the sky. Power  
shot throughout the world, and the sky turned green. All around the senshi  
Crescent Island began to rise out of the water. It was rocky and had a few  
trees on it. The gateway to other dimensions was open. The Gathering had  
begun.  
  
********  
  
Urawa and the others in the Command City of Kaipo were gathered together.  
One minute they were there, and the next they weren't.  
  
********  
  
Members of the hidden fortress in Toria had travelled to the Command City.  
There they met Professor Tomoe and his colleuges. They all vanished.  
  
********  
  
The villagers of Dohilne were outside staring out into the green sky. They  
faded away.  
  
********  
  
People living in the Caverns of Shmyte had been on supply trip to the  
Command City of Akfzo. They and the good people of the city faded away into  
nothing.  
  
********  
  
The inhabitants of Rashka weren't very aware of what the world was like, but  
when the sky turned the green they all gathered together. The village elder  
bowed his head and they blurred into nothing.  
  
********  
  
All around the senshi on Crescent Island all of those people appeared. Some  
were scared, some were curious, some were calm, and some were panicking.  
Above all of them in the sky, a black mist was growing. Sailor Saturn closed  
her eyes. 'Listen to me.' she thought. Through some power all of the people  
there could hear her thoughts. 'The Creators are coming to attempt to cancel  
The Gathering. That cannot happen. We need every one of you to help. In all  
people there is an essence of life, of power. Each of us may use that power  
once or twice in the period of our lives, but the effect just comes out as  
some mental ability, and is not noticed. All of you have to find that  
essence; the point inside you where it is, and direct it outward. Form a  
shield that the Creators cannot break through.'  
  
No matter how silly it sounded all of the people tried it, and with a little  
help found the power they were looking for. Around Crescent Island a dome  
shield formed, shutting out the Creators.  
  
Haiku moved to the point of the star where Pluto should have been. The  
pedestal sunk into the platform, and then an outcrop rose on the inside of  
the star. There was room enough for three people on it. "The other side of  
the gate has been opened," Haiku called. "Use your power to connect them."  
  
"Mercury Eternal Power!"  
"Mars Eternal Power!"  
"Jupiter Eternal Power!"  
"Venus Eternal Power!"  
"Neptune Eternal Power!"  
"Uranus Eternal Power!"  
"Saturn Eternal Power!"  
"Moon Crisis!"  
  
From all of the senshi a beam of power shot forward and into the crescent  
moon in the center of the platform. It all vanished into a hole that formed  
in it. A few seconds passed. Then a swirling oval of colours formed at one  
side of the raised part of the platform and grew to about the height of a  
person. Then the portal moved backwards, revealing Eternal Sailor Pluto. She  
was standing there expressionless, the garnet orb on the time staff glowing  
brightly. When the portal had revealed all of her it split into two separate  
portals and stopped just behind her. Then those two portals travelled  
backwards and revealed Princess Serenity with Luna on her shoulder and  
Prince Endymion. The portals closed. The arriving senshi took in their  
surroundings. "You're all here!" Serenity exclaimed.  
  
"There is little time for rejoicing," Haiku announced. "Everyone, gather in  
a circle. Everyone gathered in a circle. The raised part of the platform  
lowered and the pedestal took its place.  
  
'You have all done a great job,' Sailor Saturn thought to all of the people.  
'The mission has been successful. Thank you. We will send you all home.' All  
of the people standing on Crescent Island wavered and vanished. The dome  
repelling the Creators vanished and down from the sky, power flowed down,  
back into the ginzuishou. Haiku removed the ginzuishou from the pedestal and  
the sky turned back to blue. The Creators swirled around the senshi.  
Somehow, they all managed to join hands. "SAILOR TELEPORT!"  
  
An aura of light surrounded the senshi and warded off the Creators. The  
senshi vanished.  
  
********  
  
They appeared in the transfer room of Resistance headquarters. A door slid  
open and Artemis came through. "Congratulations! You made it. Didn't I tell  
you that I'd have everything fixed up by the time you got back?"  
  
Luna jumped off Serenity's shoulder and took on her human form. "Artemis,"  
she called out and gave him a hug.  
  
"We're all together again!"  
  
"Things are finally going to be all right."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure now," Artemis said, "Follow me to the control centre.  
He led everyone present to the control centre. "This battle is far from  
over." He motioned to a giant monitor. He brought up a picture of the  
platform in the middle of the ocean. "Crescent Island has returned to the  
ocean but the platform has not. It will be needed again. The scene changed.  
Now there was a picture of the volcanic region. It was a picture of the  
Command Point, only there was another point about half the size of it next  
to it. "This point has risen in the volcanic region. I know nothing about  
it. Also I have been getting strange energy readings coming from the arctic  
region. Possibly a weapon. These are just some of the things that need to be  
investigated."  
  
"But we can do it." Serenity exclaimed. "We just have to. We must be able to  
return peace to the world, even if it will take us some time."  
  
"Time," Sailor Pluto murmured. "Something I wish knew what was happening  
to."  
  
Fini!  
To be continued....  
  
And there is the end of part one of Sailor Moon: World Rebirth.  
Next is part 2, Beyond the Horizon of Time, 5 episodes that follow Usagi, Mamoru  
and Luna. 


	14. Episode 13: Secrets

Ok, here we are now in the past, telling the story of Usagi, Mamoru, and Luna!  
  
Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 2, Beyond the Horizon of Time  
Episode 13 'Secrets'  
  
All Sailor Moon could see was a swirl of colours. Her meatballs came undone  
and her long hair waved up and down even though there was no wind. Just a  
swirl of colours.  
Then white.  
Then black.  
A tinge of red and then black again.  
  
********  
  
"Mercury Power, make up!"  
"Mars Power, make up!"  
"Jupiter Power, make up!"  
"Venus Power, make up!"  
  
The senshi relaxed. Their elements spun around themselves as they became the  
sailor senshi. Elder Mars stood waiting. She had transformed in a second  
with just a thought. She waited a second after they had finished. "All  
right! Each of you run around the palace grounds twice, then meet me at the  
city gates on the forest side."  
  
The senshi took off. At inhuman speeds they ran across the courtyard of the  
palace. It was a breeze. Today was a light day because they were having  
target practice. They usually ran ten laps. Elder Mars stood, watching them  
go, then closed her eyes as her surroundings shifted to that of the gates of  
the city. She set to work setting up targets for the senshi to shoot. When  
she was done she was back by the city gates to watch the senshi arrive. "Who  
would like to go first?"  
  
The senshi looked around. "Sensei, where are the targets?"  
  
She pointed to the edge of the forest. "Over there."  
  
The senshi squinted, scanning the area in front of the forest. They could  
just make out a target. "That far away? I can barely see it! How are we  
supposed to hit it?"  
  
"It's a very possible shot." Elder Mars pointed a finger towards the  
forest. Flame leapt from her finger across the land and hit the target right  
on. "Bring the target to your eyes. Let your mind do the work. You try  
Jupiter."  
  
Sailor Jupiter pointed herself in the general direction of the target while  
shaking her head. "Supreme Thunder!" She shot lighting towards the target  
and it engulfed the target and tons of the space around it.  
  
"Nice shot. You killed your target and fifty civilians. Next."  
  
Sailor Mars pointed her fingers towards the target. She lined the tips of  
her fingers with what she concluded was the target. "Fire Soul!" A stream of  
fire shot off towards the forest. Suddenly a portal opened up in the sky in  
between Sailor Mars and the target and a figure fell through. They were  
engulfed by the fire. "Oh no," Sailor Mars cried. "No one could have  
survived that!" The senshi took off towards the fire.  
  
Sailor Venus reached the stranger first. "Oh my." She covered her face and  
knelt down beside the person. The others arrived. "Who is she?" The person  
was lying on her back. It was a young woman, about 16 or 17. She had long  
blonde hair that reached down past the length of her back. The part that was  
confusing was that she was in a sailor fuku that the senshi had never seen  
before. She didn't have a mark on her from Mars' fire.  
  
Elder Mars came walking up to them. "So Mars, who'd you fry? What-" Elder  
Mars was puzzled. Who was this? Not an impersonation, otherwise the fire  
would have taken care of them. And who would they be impersonating? "I think  
we better take her back to the palace. The queen will want to see this."  
Sailor Jupiter picked her up. "Gather around," Elder Mars instructed. She  
closed her eyes and viewed the fountain just inside the palace gates. It was  
a little tricky, but she was able to transport them all. Elder Mars led them  
up the palace stairs and into the palace past a couple of confused guards.  
Elder Mars led them through the palace to a guest room and motioned to  
Jupiter to lay the girl on the bed. "Venus, go find the queen and bring her  
here. Tell her it's urgent." Sailor Venus nodded and took off.  
  
********  
  
Queen Serenity sat at a desk looking through the day's reports. Sometimes  
she hated being a queen. She was quite relieved when Sailor Venus came  
bursting through the doors but also worried. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Elder Mars said that's it's urgent and you have to come see."  
  
Queen Serenity gracefully got up from the desk and followed Sailor Venus.  
"What happened?"  
  
"We found a girl while we were having target practice. Marsblastedherand  
shewasn'thurtandshe'swearingafuku,onlynothinglikeours." Queen Serenity  
barely grasped what Venus had said. They arrived in the room and Queen  
Serenity moved up beside the person to get a better look.  
  
"Who is she? A spy? Just some person dressed up?"  
  
"Well," Elder Mars said, "She's not just some person dressed up. She got  
blasted by Mars fire and she doesn't have a burn on her. I'm not getting any  
bad feelings from her. I don't think she's evil. And look at this." Elder  
Mars reached and pushed some of the girl's hair away to reveal a tiara. In  
the middle of it was the symbol of the moon.  
  
"How is that possible?"  
  
"Ughhhhhh," the stranger moaned.  
  
"Wait, I think she's coming to."  
  
Queen Serenity waited a moment and then asked, "Who are you?"  
  
Who am I? Usagi thought. She felt around her body to see what she was  
wearing. She was too tired to open her eyes. Her transformation was putting  
a drain on what little energy she had.  
  
"I'm Sailor Moon." Usagi opened her eyes. Everything was blurry.  
  
"But there is no senshi of the moon," a familiar voice said. Usagi's vision  
blurred and focused, blurred and then focused. and she found herself staring  
into the eyes of her past mother. "Queen Serenity?"  
  
"So you know me. What is your name?"  
  
"My name is Usagi. Where am I?" Usagi looked back and forth around here to  
find the inner senshi there and an older woman dressed in the colours of  
Mars. The senshi looked so young.  
  
"You're in the Moon Palace. Where else would you be?"  
  
"During the Silver Millennium?"  
  
"Yes of course. What other time would this be? Are you alright?"  
  
Usagi closed her eyes. Whoa, What has Sailor Pluto done now? This must be a  
few years before the attack by the negaverse. It must be puzzling for them  
to have found a senshi of the moon. Usagi was still feeling a drain on her  
from being Sailor Moon so she transformed out. She was wearing her high  
school fuku.  
  
"Where are you from? You're certainly not from around here. Are you from  
Earth?"  
  
What was Usagi going to say? She couldn't just say, 'I'm your daughter from  
1000 years in the future and Sailor Pluto did something and now I'm here  
with you. A wave of dizziness washed over Usagi and she leaned back. "I'm so  
tired . . ." and she fell asleep.  
  
When Usagi woke up again she heard two people talking. "I've decided that  
I'm going to use the crystal on her."  
  
"Are you sure that's wise?"  
  
"I have to find out whether she's evil or not. All right. Everyone out of  
the room." Usagi opened her eyes to see the senshi leaving. Queen Serenity  
held the ginzuishou over Usagi. "Moon. . ."  
  
Suddenly Usagi shouted out "Stop!" and Queen Serenity did so.  
  
"So, are you going to admit that you're evil?"  
  
"No, it's just what do you think would happen if you used the ginzuishou on  
itself. Now imagine the opposite of that. That's what would have happened."  
Usagi unclipped her locket from her chest and set in on a side table.  
"There. Now you can use it on me. If you want to save your strength I'll  
tell you that it's going to have the same effect if you used it on yourself,  
or your daughter..."  
  
"Moon Purify. . ." Usagi relaxed as the familiar power of the ginzuishou  
washed through her. It transformed her into Sailor Moon. When Queen Serenity  
stopped it changed her back to Usagi. "What?! Who are you?"  
  
Usagi grabbed a couple of braids off of a table beside her and set up her  
hair like she normally would have. Queen Serenity stumbled back and sat down  
in a chair. "Who do you think I am."  
  
"How can this be? You look just like my daughter, only much older."  
  
"That's because I am a descendant of your daughter, only from many years in  
the future. I can't tell you too much because it might screw up the timeline  
and I have a feeling Sailor Pluto is a little busy right at the moment to  
come fix it." Usagi quickly made up some story. She wasn't exactly going to  
say that Queen Serenity's daughter would be reincarnated in the future.  
  
"But you became a sailor senshi."  
  
"Yes, well, in my time I am one of the most powerful senshi."  
  
"Why didn't you want me to use the ginzuishou on you while you were wearing  
your locket?"  
  
Usagi reached over and picked her locket up off of the table. "A lesson on  
time from Sailor Pluto. She said that as long as time travelers don't cross  
the horizon of time, and then meet their past selves, it will be okay, but  
if there were two of the same person or thing in the same time, that were  
from separate sides of the horizon, and if they came in contact with each  
other they would destroy each other. The horizon of time is about 500 years  
in the future." Usagi opened up her locket to reveal a second ginzuishou.  
"If you had used it on me while I was wearing this mine would have protected  
me. If the two energies met I don't know what would have happened."  
  
Queen Serenity thought it over for a moment. "But why did you have to become  
Sailor Moon? Does some disaster occur in the future? We've had peace in the  
Moon Kingdom for almost a thousand years."  
  
"No." Usagi thought it over for a moment, deciding what she could tell  
Serenity and what she couldn't. "No, it's not until after the end of the  
Silver Millennium. Please don't press me. I'll probably say something I'm  
not supposed to. I don't know much about this time and I would rather not  
tell you anything that might change what happens in the future."  
  
"So how did you end up here?" Now Queen Serenity had moved and was sitting  
on the end of the bed.  
  
Usagi recalled the battle. "We were fighting a new enemy about 2 weeks after  
defeating Ne-, oh sorry, anyway, we had just saved our home from  
destruction, when a new enemy appeared. Our new opponent had almost  
completely destroyed North America. First it took down the Outer senshi, and  
then the inner senshi. I looked at them and I could see they were almost  
dead. And then Tuxedo Mask was blasted and my powers didn't work on it so it  
dropped me down a chasm that it opened up in the ground. Sailor Saturn  
grabbed me just before I fell in. Then Sailor Pluto pointed her staff at me  
and something shot below me, I think it was a time portal forming below me.  
Then I was dropped into it and now . . . I don't know where any of my  
friends are or whether they're okay and . . ." The rest of what Usagi was  
said was unable to make out because she began to cry.  
  
Queen Serenity took Usagi in her arms. Even though Usagi had only been here  
since yesterday she couldn't stand to see her cry. She didn't understand  
most of the things Usagi had said but it seemed like some disaster had  
occurred and Sailor Pluto had sent her here to be safe. "Don't worry. I'm  
sure they're okay, and at least Pluto sent you to a familiar time." Usagi  
stopped crying and seemed to focus on hearing or feeling something outside  
of this room. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Mamoru is here, in this time. He followed me through the portal. I can feel  
that he's here."  
  
"Who is Mamoru?"  
  
"He's my protector. My dream is to get married to him someday."  
  
"Do you know where he is?"  
  
"No, but I'm sure that he'll be able to find me."  
  
"Well until then we're going to have to change your look. And you can't be  
wearing the royal hair style."  
  
"Easily taken care of." Usagi made a pen appear out of air and spun it  
around on her finger. "What should I look like?" Usagi stopped the spinning  
of the pen and held it up.  
  
"How about you take the image of an ambassador from Earth."  
  
"All right! Disguise Magic, turn me in to an ambassador from Earth!" Usagi's  
hair returned to going down her back but it shortened to just going down  
half of the length of her back and changed to a brown colour. She was wearing a beige  
dress with a low neckline and no sleeves. "By the way, where is Princess  
Serenity? How old is she?"  
  
"She's on a vacation to Venus. They have quite beautiful resorts there.  
She's lived about 11 Earth revolutions now." Queen Serenity led her out of  
the room to where the senshi were waiting.  
  
*********  
  
"Friends, this is Princess Gaia, an ambassador from Earth. She is an older  
sibling of their royal family. That is who she is now and if anyone outside  
this group asks, that is who she is. Maybe I'll tell you the truth after she  
has left." Then senshi looked at each other and then Queen Serenity gave  
them a stern look. The senshi quickly transformed to their princess guises.  
  
**********  
  
"We would love to give you a tour of the palace grounds and surrounding area  
Princess Gaia," Princess Mars stepped forward. I was so nervous. I really  
hoped that they would accept me and be kind. I let them lead me off. I  
figured while I was here I may as well have a look around and try to learn  
more about my past. Everything was so big. It was nothing like my home in  
Tokyo. When we reached the front hall Princess Mercury introduced herself  
and the others. "My name is Ami, and this is Rei, Makoto, and Minako.  
  
"My name is Usagi and I'm glad you guys are going to be able to show me  
around." I listened to my voice waver after the first few words but then I  
got control of myself. "This really is a beautiful place."  
  
"You haven't even seen the best of it yet."  
  
I had a great tour of the palace and the grounds surrounding the palace.  
Minako mentioned that she felt like she knew me and the others had similar  
feelings. I just smiled. It was simply incredibly beautiful. They showed me  
everything except the palace gardens, which only the royal family and the  
senshi were able to enter. And I do mean ABLE. I knew of this but said  
nothing. I also remembered that eventually it was disabled because it was a  
waste of energy. Then the princesses gave me a short tour of the main street  
of the surrounding city. I wanted to go shopping but I didn't have any money  
and the others said that we didn't have time.  
  
After a few hours we ended up in the front gardens of the palace. We were  
just sitting there talking about various things, including sites away from  
the palace that I just had to see during my stay. "So who are you really?"  
Rei asked. All other conversation between us stopped.  
  
"Yeah, you can trust us," Makoto added.  
  
I looked around the curious looks. They were only about ten or eleven years  
old. "All you're going to get out of me is that I'm from way far into the  
future and I'm on a visit until Sailor Pluto comes and gets me."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Nope. That's all I'm going to tell you." They kept on bugging me for a few  
minutes until they gave up. My stomach rumbled. "When are we going to get  
something to eat?" I got up from where we were sitting. "I'm starving."  
  
Minako took my hand. "Come on. We'll go have some lunch." The princesses led  
me off through the palace to the royal dinning room and the five of them  
took a seat. During the meal I tried extremely hard to have proper table  
manners so that I could fit in better. I tried really hard to mimic the  
others, but kept on making mistakes. If there was anyone else there besides  
the five of us there would have been many questions asked about me. I was  
eating so slowly I actually tasted the food. It was great. By the end of the  
meal, my manners had greatly improved.  
  
********  
  
Queen Serenity smiled from a balcony overlooking the girls. Clearly, Usagi  
must have come from a future where she wasn't part of royalty. The queen was  
happy that someday, even if it was a thousand years in the future, one of  
the moon princesses would have a chance at a normal life. Well, almost  
normal.  
  
Suddenly a palace guard ran in to the dining room. "Senshi, you must come  
quick. There are aliens attacking the palace. The guards aren't going to  
hold out much longer." The senshi stood up. "Don't worry Usa- I mean  
Princess Gaia. Just stay here and we'll be right back." The senshi left  
Usagi sitting there as they ran off with the guard. Usagi decided to follow  
them to see who the aliens were because she didn't remember the senshi  
having to fight until the battle against the negaverse. Curious.  
  
Queen Serenity quickly hurried down to the main level of the palace to see  
what was happening outside. She met Usagi looking out a window at the front  
of the palace looking at the battle below. "Youma." Usagi said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"They are youma," Usagi said.  
  
"You've fought them before?"  
  
"Many times." Usagi shivered from the frightful memories. She watched the  
battle below as the senshi used their powers to fight. Their powers were  
doing damage but the youma kept on coming. Even Elder Mars wasn't doing as  
good as she should have.  
  
"The other elder senshi are days away from here. And they are getting old  
these days."  
  
"I have to help them."  
  
"But that would bring up even more questions about there being a senshi of  
the Moon."  
  
"What if I disguised myself so they wouldn't recognize me as Usagi, or  
Sailor Moon, and only see me as a senshi of the Earth."  
  
"I guess it could work. But how would you do that?"  
  
Usagi was already ahead of her. "Moon Eternal, make up!" Usagi began to  
transform into the ever familiar Sailor Moon. Only she used her disguise  
power to alter her fuku. First she became the regular Sailor Moon rather  
than Super Sailor Moon. Her bows and boots changed to green, so her fuku was  
representing the colours of Earth and anything else she had that was red  
changed to green. Her blond hair changed to a dark brown and continued to  
only go down half of her back. The Moon on her tiara changed into a blue  
jewel. Before Queen Serenity could comment on it Usagi was gone.  
  
********  
  
Sailor Mars was getting tired. She had already used her fire soul five  
times. The creatures were getting weaker but they wouldn't die. There were  
four of them. Sailor Mercury was on the ground because one of the creatures  
had blasted her while she was off guard. Her shabon spray hadn't been doing  
all that well anyway. Mars didn't know how much longer they would be able to  
hold out. Sailor Jupiter was moving slowly and pretty soon wouldn't be able  
to dodge fast enough.  
  
"Crescent Beam!" Sailor Venus used her attack and a creature was blasted  
back. But it just got back up and came after her again. The senshi were in  
between the creatures and the palace.  
  
"SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" Suddenly a blast of power came from above and blasted  
one of the creatures. It turned to dust. A person dropped on the other side  
of the creatures, in between the creatures and the palace gates. The person  
was in a blue and green sailor fuku. She was wearing a blue mask as  
well(similar to the one Sailor V wore). "You youma are not welcome here. I'm  
Pretty Soldier Sailor Earth! In the name of the earth, I'll punish you!" Two  
of the youma faced the newcomer and the other one continued on the other  
senshi. Sailor Earth whispered so only she could hear, "moon," and then said  
out loud, "SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" She took care of all three of the youma who  
were left.  
  
"Sailor Earth, who are you?"  
  
"For now senshi, my identity must remain unknown. These creatures are called  
youma and I have battled them before. Farewell, I'm sure we will meet  
again." And with that Sailor Earth jumped into the air and disappeared. The  
senshi watched her go and then helped Sailor Mercury into the palace.  
Princess Gaia was waiting there for them. "So, I take it you took care of  
whoever it was?"  
  
Queen Serenity was surprised. She had watched the battle and was surprised  
to see how easily Usagi had pulled it off.  
  
"Yes we took care of them. You'll have to wait for us until we return from  
the healers."  
  
"Yes of course." Usagi stood in the main hall as the senshi moved on. Queen  
Serenity walked over to Usagi.  
  
"You just keep on surprising me Usagi."  
  
"I keep on surprising even myself. But it seems something is wrong. I don't  
recall an attack from my memories of this -I mean the history of this time.  
I believe something is here from my own time."  
  
********** 


	15. Episode 14: The Ball

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 2, Beyond the Horizon of Time  
Episode 14 'The Ball'  
  
Tuxedo Kamen saw many colours. Everywhere. All there was was a swirl of  
colours that went on for forever. He struggled to keep conscious. He  
transformed from Tuxedo Kamen back to Mamoru.  
Colours.  
Then white.  
Then black.  
  
********  
  
Cal was walking home from work on the market. He had made quite a bit. A  
girl named Usagi had bought a whole bunch of his pastries. He had never seen  
someone eat so much in so little time. Cal didn't know it but it was three  
days after a 'Princess Gaia' had appeared at the palace. Even if Cal had  
known he wouldn't have cared. His home was in a row of a bunch of others. He  
built it himself with some of his friends with wood from the nearby forest.  
After he had just reached the door, a portal suddenly opened to the side of  
the door and a man dropped out. He was in about his early twenties in Earth  
years and wearing weird clothes. Cal called out to him but he just laid  
there. Cal found that he was unconscious so he carried him into his house.  
His wife, Anna came into the room. "Oh my, what happened?"  
  
"A portal just opened in front of our house and he fell out. I've never seen  
him before. How is he?" Anna had already knelt down beside the man and was  
feeling his forehead. Her hand glowed. "Recently he had some serious  
injuries but they seem to have healed up. He's unconscious and needs to  
sleep for a while. I have no idea when he will wake up. I would try to speed  
the process but I can't tell what kind of effect it would have on him."  
  
Cal sighed. Sometimes it was handy to have a wife as a healer's daughter and  
sometimes it didn't help a bit. It took two days for the mysterious man to  
wake up. And even then he was pretty weak. "Who are you? Where are you  
from?" Anna asked him.  
  
"Where am I from? I . . . don't remember. I don't remember much of anything.  
Where am I?"  
  
"You're in my home, on the moon. You can't even remember your name?"  
  
"My name?" The man stopped to think. "I don't know. What do you think my  
name is?"  
  
"I think you look like an Alex."  
  
"Alex. All right, at least until I get my memory back. What is the year?"  
  
"Year? It is the fifth revolution of the Silver Millennium. You better get  
some more rest. You've been through a lot."  
  
"Okay."  
  
It wasn't until two days later that Alex had completely recovered. He  
borrowed some of Cal's clothes so that he wouldn't look out of place. He  
spent his next few days touring the city and helping Cal in his pastries  
shop. Anna brought up the idea one day at dinner. "Hey Alex, tomorrow night  
is the annual masked ball at the palace. How would you like to come with Cal  
and I."  
  
"Sure, I'd love to."  
  
********  
  
The next evening people flocked to the palace from all over the moon to the  
annual masked ball. All of the men wore masks. When everyone started  
dancing, Usagi watched as everyone paired off. Princess Serenity got back  
from Venus the day before. Usagi watched as even though Serenity and Prince  
Endymion had never been introduced they still paired together. Probably  
Usagi and maybe Queen Serenity were the only ones who actually knew who  
Princess Serenity was dancing with.  
  
Alex watched a girl with long blonde hair and a beige dress watch everyone  
pair off. He figured that she didn't have anyone to dance with so he walked  
over to her.  
  
********  
  
Usagi watched as a man walked over to where she was. He held out his hand to  
offer a dance. He was wearing a mask like Tuxedo Kamen. He led her out on to  
the dance floor and they joined hands. After a few minutes of dancing she  
inquired, "Mamoru?"  
  
Alex looked up into the eyes of his partner. "Sorry, Alex. You?"  
  
Usagi closed her eyes. For a moment she thought it was him. "Usagi."  
  
"Usagi. That's a wonderful name." Usagi and Alex danced and lost themselves  
in each other's eyes. They danced the night away. They danced longer than  
anyone else, and when it got close to the end, the only dancers were Usagi  
and Alex, and Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. Both couples danced  
flawlessly, completely unaware of the crowd of people around them watching.  
Many guests had already left, and many were still there. They didn't stop  
dancing until Queen Serenity announced that the ball was over for the night.  
Alex wondered who this girl was. She seemed so familiar. They slowed and  
took one more look at each other and left without a word, so not to break  
the mood. The two girls, Usagi and Serenity walked away, off into the depths  
of the palace.  
  
What are you doing? Usagi screamed at herself. You're destined for Mamoru!  
But it seemed so right. . .  
  
********  
  
When Alex got home Cal and Anna were fast asleep, so he went to bed. He was  
asleep before his head hit the pillow. The next morning Cal and Anna let him  
sleep in. When he woke up, only Anna was there. "You were sure late out last  
night."  
  
"I don't remember it clearly. It seemed like a dream."  
  
"My friend who stayed there the whole time said that by the end it was only  
you and another couple dancing at the end."  
  
"I remember somewhat. Do you know who the girl was. It seemed like I knew  
who she was."  
  
"I don't now. She was very pretty. I don't know what her position is. By the  
time it reaches me, the recent gossip is usually distorted. But I know who  
the other girl was. I think everyone in the kingdom does. She's the queen's  
daughter, Princess Serenity."  
  
Where do I know that name? Alex wondered. And Usagi. It seemed like I knew  
someone by that name before I forgot everything. And she called me Mamoru,  
and that seems so familiar too. "Oh it's so frustrating. I feel like I'm  
right on the edge of remembering who I am but I can't grasp it." Alex took a  
seat and put his head in his hands.  
  
"Just relax and try to let the memories to come to you."  
  
Mamoru closed his eyes. He remembered searching for a princess. Then an  
annoying clumsy girl. She loved him? He remembered they were in an elevator.  
And then there was fire. He watched her transform into Sailor Moon, and then  
he used a rose and became Tuxedo Kamen. Then it all came back to him. Usagi,  
and the sailor senshi, and then the battle, and then following Sailor Moon  
through a time portal to who knows where, which turned out to be the .  
  
Alex jumped up and gave Anna a hug. "Thanks. Now I remember everything. My  
real name is Mamoru and I'm from Tokyo, Japan." He was hopping about the  
room.  
  
"Okay. Settle down. Cal will be home soon and you can tell us all about it."  
Anna tried to get Mamoru to sit down but he just got back up again.  
  
"All right. But first I have to go see someone." Before Anna could say  
anything Mamoru was out the door.  
  
Mamoru slowed down after he got out of the house. He took a look all around  
himself to see what it was like in the Silver Millennium. Before it really  
hadn't made much of a difference where he was but now that he had his memory  
back he wanted to be able to remember as much of this place as he could. In  
the streets there were these car-like vehicles that seemed to float on air  
and no one here was in a hurry to get anywhere. He looked up in the sky to  
see Earth there. It was incredibly big and filled a large portion of the  
sky. It was really beautiful. It wasn't hard to reach the palace since he  
had gone to the ball there the evening before. When he reached the palace  
gates he was stopped by a guard. "Where do you think you're going?" the  
guard asked him.  
  
"Umm, I have an appointment with someone here who is just visiting."  
  
"And who would that be?"  
  
"I, aaa," Mamoru realized that he didn't know who Usagi was posing as in  
this time. Definitely not the princess but she must have said she was  
someone important otherwise she wouldn't be staying at the palace. "She said  
that I could drop by today and she'd be waiting for me inside the palace.  
And anyway, don't you usually let commoners into the palace?"  
  
"We did but lately there have been quite a few alien attacks on the palace  
and we have to be extra careful. As soon as the senshi get the problem  
cleaned up you can come see whoever you're supposed to meet."  
  
Mamoru stopped to think for a sec. As far as he remembered there weren't any  
attacks on the Moon Kingdom until the negaverse came. And this was years  
before that. "Do you know what the aliens are?"  
  
The guard must have figured that the man wouldn't have asked that question  
if he was one of the enemies. "I believe Sailor Earth called them youma."  
  
"Earth?! I didn't think there was any senshi of the Earth!"  
  
"Neither did I; or anyone else until she showed up. The senshi had trouble  
defeating the youma and then Sailor Earth showed up and helped them. Now,  
every time the youma make an attack on the palace this Sailor Earth shows up  
but she disappears before anyone can ask her anything. She uses some kind of  
spiral attack or something. Says something like that."  
  
This guard talks too much, Mamoru thought. Given the right circumstances he  
could give away all of the palace's secrets. "Well thanks anyway. I'll just  
have to wait until you guys get this cleaned up. I'll see you later." Mamoru  
turned away.  
  
"Excuse me sir, one more thing."  
  
Mamoru turned back around. "Yes, anything."  
  
"Please don't spread word of the stuff I told you around. I think it would  
be better if the townspeople didn't think that anything was wrong. You're  
not from around here are you?"  
  
"No. I'm visiting here from Earth. How could you tell?"  
  
"The way you were staring at everything on your way here. It was as if you  
had never seen it like that before."  
  
"Yeah, you're right. I've never been here before. Don't worry, I won't tell  
anyone." Mamoru waved and walked away from the palace gates. When he was out  
of site of them he circled around so he'd come to one of the gate's walls.  
He knew that Usagi had to do something with this Sailor Earth. It made sense  
that she wouldn't want to become Sailor Moon because it would get many  
people's attention so she would need some other way to fight. The attack  
fit. He also guessed that the youma came through the portal after them.  
Otherwise the senshi wouldn't have needed Usagi's help. There was no way he  
was going to get through those gates unless maybe if he took the form of  
Prince Endymion but that would bring too many questions. When he reached the  
wall he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. Every so far along the top of the wall  
were small crystals. Tuxedo Kamen remembered that they had something to do  
with security. He took another look at them only this time he used his  
powers to look at them. Now he saw that there was some kind of laser coming  
from each of them and they formed some kind of grid. He figured that if one  
of them was touched by a person that the guards would be alerted so he used  
his agility and jumping ability as Tuxedo Kamen and slipped through one of  
the holes.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen hurried across the courtyard and through an open window of the  
palace. Thinking quickly he hid in a shadow when a couple of servants walked  
by. He somewhat remembered the layout of the palace and made his way to the  
guest quarters. He searched all of the rooms and then decided upon which one  
was Usagi's. It was the only one that was being occupied by a female. He hid  
in the shadows and waited.  
  
It wasn't until a couple of hours later until the young woman he had danced  
with the other night came into the room. He heard a voice from outside the  
room say, "Don't worry Princess Gaia we'll come get you as soon as we're  
done. We can handle it." The young woman crossed the room and looked out the  
window. Tuxedo Kamen knew immediately that it was Usagi."  
  
"Not without Sailor Earth you aren't." Usagi said to herself.  
  
"So it's Princess Gaia now, or should I say Sailor Earth."  
  
Usagi froze. That was a man. No one except Queen Serenity knew that she was  
posing as Sailor Earth. She slowly turned around and looked across the room.  
There standing against a wall was Tuxedo Kamen. "Mamoru!" Usagi cried as she  
crossed the room and entered his arms. "I felt that you came after me  
through the portal but I had no idea where you were. I thought you had come  
for me last night but it turned out to be someone else and I was so sure of  
it."  
  
"Usagi, that was me last night. After I came through the portal I lost my  
memory and I didn't get it back until today when I got up. I think it was  
the dance that brought me around."  
  
Usagi hugged him harder. "I knew it was you but we're going to have to catch  
up later because I have to go help the senshi defeat the youma. I think  
they're something that came through the portal after us." They separated.  
Usagi took another look out the window. "I'll be right back. 'Moon Crisis,  
Make up!" Usagi transformed and then she used the Luna pen to change her  
looks. "How do I look?"  
  
"Great." Sailor Earth beamed and jumped out the window. "I'm not letting you  
hog all of the action. I get a new suit too." Tuxedo Kamen threw a rose which  
spun around himself from top to bottom, changing his suit. His hat  
disappeared and a green bandana appeared on his forehead with the symbol of  
Earth in the middle. He also got green boots and green shin guards. His  
pants turned blue and he was wearing a blue tunic. He had a green belt and  
green gloves that just passed his wrists. He kept the white mask over his  
eyes, and they got a stripe of green on each side. He also jumped out the  
window.  
  
The senshi knew that they couldn't defeat the youma so they just delayed  
them until Sailor Earth showed up. This time the youma were more powerful  
and Sailor Earth had to wait for them to be weakened first. "Moon SPIRAL  
HEART ATTACK!" Sailor Earth dusted two when another came up behind her and  
knocked her down before she realized it. It picked her up and threw her  
against a wall. She fell to the ground and her vision blurred.  
  
"Sailor Earth!" Sailor Mars called but was too preoccupied to help. Just  
when it seemed Sailor Earth was going to get blasted a figure jumped down  
and picked Sailor Earth up and took off just before the youma blasted her.  
Sailor Earth found herself in the arms of a changed Tuxedo Kamen. They landed  
much out of the way out of the blast.  
  
"You've changed!"  
  
"You had an outfit change so it seemed only fitting that I did too." Tuxedo  
Kamen brought out a crystal rose and threw it at the youma. The rose embedded  
itself in the youma's chest and then it burst into dust. He threw regular  
roses into the other's to weaken them. "Finish off the job Sailor Mo-earth."  
  
"You got it. Moon SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" Sailor Earth took care of the  
remaining youma. Like she usually did, she jumped into the air and  
transported away. Just before she disappeared Tuxedo Kamen grabbed on to her  
boot and was transported away with her. They reappeared in Usagi's room.  
"Look's like you've also learned some more tricks."  
  
"Same with you. You could never transport away like that before."  
  
"I know. It seems that just being back here has made me stronger." Usagi and  
Tuxedo Kamen continued to tell each other about their stay and the people  
they met. She told him about her conversation with Queen Serenity and he  
told her about Cal and Anna.  
  
"Talking about Cal and Anna, Cal should be getting off work right about now.  
I have to go eat with them and answer their questions."  
  
"Are you going to come stay with me here in the palace."  
  
Tuxedo Kamen gave Usagi a kiss on the forehead. "Of course. When it gets dark  
I'll meet you at the palace gates. Last time the guard wouldn't let me in  
because you weren't there."  
  
"I'll be waiting for you." Tuxedo Kamen jumped out the window to Usagi's room  
and Sailor Earth changed back to Usagi. Tuxedo Kamen easily made it back  
transformed and was home in time for dinner. He sat down and Anna served  
dinner.  
  
"So, Mamoru is it? Are you going to tell us all about yourself?"  
  
"Well, what I can. You see, I'm from the future. I followed my friend here  
through a time portal that Sailor Pluto sent her through. Unfortunately,  
because of the battle we were fighting and then the time travel my memory  
got screwed up. Right now my friend is at the palace and she's posing as an  
ambassador from Earth. I believe she's the one who bought a whole bunch of  
your pastries the day that I arrived here."  
  
"She has quite an appetite on herself, and that's quite a story."  
  
"Yes well, we were destined for each other." Mamoru went on to tell Cal and  
Anna a little bit about himself and what he did. He also did his best to persuade them  
that he was telling the truth. "I'm going to go stay with  
her now but I'd like to thank you for everything you've done for me."  
  
"It was our pleasure. Just make sure you come say goodbye before you leave  
and introduce us to your friend."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
When Mamoru left Cal and Anna's house he was walking on air. When he reached  
the palace gate it was dark. "Who goes there?" the palace guard called out  
to him when he got close.  
  
"Don't worry. It's just me again."  
  
"I already told you I can't let you in to the palace."  
  
"Yeah, but this time I'm being expected." Mamoru waited a few minutes and  
then Usagi came running out of the palace.  
  
"Sorry I'm late Mamoru but dessert was soooo good and I just had to have a  
second helping. Don't worry Ron, you can let him in. He's with me."  
  
Ron looked at the two of them. "Okay. Here you go Mamoru. You have quite a  
woman here." Usagi grinned and led Mamoru into the palace. Queen Serenity  
met Usagi and Mamoru in the main hall.  
  
"Welcome to the Moon Palace Mamoru. It seems you have another friend here  
from your time Usagi. She's waiting for you in your room. I have a room set  
up for Mamoru next to yours."  
  
"Thank you your majesty," Mamoru quickly said as Usagi, still holding on to  
him pulled him through the hall to the stairs. Usagi was curious and anxious  
to see who had also come through the time portal. She opened the door to  
find no one there. None of her friends. Usagi took a look around the room  
looking for one of the other senshi.  
  
"You really shouldn't jump to conclusions Usagi," a voice said. Usagi looked  
down on her bed to find Luna there.  
  
"Luna! You came after me." Luna jumped into her arms.  
  
"Yes, and it seems that you two have made quite a mess here in the short  
time you've been here, eh Sailor Earth."  
  
"Well I couldn't become Sailor Moon and something followed us through the  
time portal that the senshi of this time couldn't handle so I had to  
improvise."  
  
"I know, I know. Both of you have managed well. We'll discuss what we're  
going to do in the morning. I've had a long day and I want to get some  
sleep."  
  
"Here too," Mamoru said. Usagi put her arms around her. "Good night, my  
princess," he said as they kissed and then he left.  
  
"Good night Luna."  
  
"Good night Usagi," Luna said as Usagi silently left the room for a bedtime  
snack. She ran into Serenity on the way to the kitchen who was on the same  
mission and the two of them carried on. (Fortunately she was able to dodge  
Serenity right before they hit. (If the two of them were to touch, it would  
be a disaster))  
  
When Usagi returned to her room she was moaning and woke Luna up.  
"Ohhhhhhhhaaaooowwww."  
  
"What's wrong Usagi! Is there a problem? A youma attack?"  
  
"I think I ate too much," Usagi replied as she changed and got into bed.  
Luna stuck her head underneath a pillow.  
  
**********  
Next up, Luna's Tale! 


	16. Episode 15: Luna's Tale

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 2, Beyond the Horizon of Time  
Episode 15 'Luna's Tale'  
  
Luna as a cat saw a full array of colours up ahead she saw Sailor Moon and   
Tuxedo Kamen but they floated away in opposite directions.  
She was alone.  
She saw colours.  
Then black.  
  
Luna woke up cold and wet. When she opened her eyes she found herself up in  
a tree. She was in a forest and she was lying on a tree branch. "Usagi!" she  
called out. "Mamoru! Anyone!" There was no response. She was alone. She  
decided to go find some some sign of civilization. She looked around below  
and jumped down on to a pile of leaves. But the pile of leaves was actually  
a trap and she fell right through it. She just missed a very sharp stick. It  
wasn't very deep so it was obviously made by a child. Luna easily hopped  
out. She started to run. There weren't any more traps so she made good time.  
Suddenly she came around a corner and stopped just before she went into the  
mouth of a giant snake. The snake chomped and then lunged forward. Luna had  
no chance and was sucked into the snake. Luna struggled and screamed but it  
didn't do her any good. "Help! Help me I've been eaten!"  
  
She could feel the snake's body crushing her and the acids burning her skin.  
Then she came up with the an idea and did the only thing she could do. Luna  
started to glow. She turned into a pile of yellow goo and passed right  
through the body of the snake. Then she started to grow. The snake turned  
around to see what happened to its meal. Luna grew into her human form.  
Fortunately the snake was incredibly scared of humans because they hunted  
it. It got out of there as fast as Usagi when she's hungry and has to get  
some food. When Luna opened her eyes it was gone.  
  
When she looked around, in one direction she saw lots of light. More light  
than the others. She walked in that direction. In a few minutes she was  
looking out over a field. She took a step and then fell to her knees holding  
her head. She screamed. A flood of memories flowed through her find. It was  
too much for her and she lost consciousness, and then woke back up. She kept  
on falling unconscious and regaining it. In a minute it stopped. She just  
laid there on the ground, looking up towards the sun. It was the middle of  
the day and the sky was dark. It was then she realized that she wasn't on  
Earth. She had regained all of her memories of the Silver Millennium. But  
why? Is this where she was now? She saw a village across the field and  
decided to find some answers there. She started to run and tripped. She was  
still getting used to moving around on two feet. She decided to walk the  
rest of the way.  
  
It wasn't a very big village. It had a few stores, and a few houses. Most of  
the people probably lived out in the country. Signs and names of stores  
weren't even in Japanese, but she still recognized them. She found what she  
recognized to be a restaurant and realized she was starving, but didn't have  
any money. She sighed and put her hands into pockets in her dress. She  
brought her hands back up and found she had some weird looking coins in her  
pockets. She figured they might be money and went into the restaurant.  
  
The restaurant just had some seats at a bar and some tables. She took a seat  
and sat down at a table. A waiter came and gave her a menu. She took a look  
at the menu but she didn't recognize any of the names of the dishes. "What  
would you like to order Miss?" The waiter had come back.  
  
"I don't know. I don't know what any of these are. Could you just bring me  
something that is tasty and suitable for a lunch?" She handed him the menu.  
  
"Certainly. You're not from around here are you?"  
  
"No, I'm not. Tell me, have any irregular people been showing up? I'm  
looking for someone."  
  
"Not that I know of. Is there anything else?"  
  
"Yes. I've been out of it lately. Could you tell me where I am?"  
  
"You're in Volkia."  
  
"Yes, where?"  
  
"In the Moon Kingdom."  
  
Luna jumped in her seat. The Moon! "And what is the year?"  
  
"It is the fifth revolution of the Silver Millennium. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Oh no specific reason. Like I said, I've been out of it for a while."  
  
"You must be of royalty."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You have the symbol on your forehead. How else?" The young man walked off  
to get Luna's meal.  
  
Luna reached up and touched her forehead. The crescent moon! Only those of  
royalty who lived in the Moon Palace were supposed to have it. She grabbed  
the handkerchief off of the table and tied it over her hair, covering the  
symbol on her forehead. She would have to get something to replace it later.  
The man came back with some hot soup and buns with some kind of pasty  
looking stuff on them. "Here you are. Don't worry I won't tell anyone."  
  
Luna started in on the meal. It was quite good but could have been a little  
spicier. With how hungry she was though, it didn't really make a difference.  
When the man came back she was done and he took her dishes. "That will be  
two sorne." Luna took out the coins that she had found in her pocket and  
held them out to him.  
  
"Is there enough here?"  
  
The man took a couple of coins and put a couple back into her hand. "There  
you are. Thank you for eating here. Please come again." He disappeared into  
a back room and Luna left the restaurant. She walked aimlessly down the  
street until she found what she was looking for. A jewelry store. When she  
went in she was shocked. The jewelry they had in the Silver Millennium was  
amazing. For a while Luna just walked through the store looking at all the  
different works they had. After she had seen everything, she chose a simple  
tiara that came down on her forehead and covered up the crescent moon. When  
she went to buy it she handed the cashier a coin that looked like it was  
worth a lot. Fortunately it was and she got a few coins back. She went back  
outside and tried to find out where exactly in the Moon Kingdom she was, and  
how to get to the palace. At the other side of the village was a transport  
that you could ride to anywhere in the Moon Kingdom. After spending a bunch  
of time trying to figure out how much of her coins it would cost, and with a  
frustrated clerk, she was on the transport, headed towards the Moon Palace.  
  
On the train there was a group of young women gossiping about current  
events. "So what are you going to wear to the annual masked ball? Do you  
have a date?" one girl asked another.  
  
"No. I'm going alone, but I'm sure some cute guy will ask me to dance. I  
heard Prince Endymion of Earth is going to be there. I wonder what he looks  
like."  
  
"That's probably just a rumor," a third girl said.  
  
"I heard that another sailor senshi has showed up and has been helping the  
others when they run into trouble. There are some kind of enemies that have  
just shown up and continuously attack the palace. I was prying information  
out of the palace guard and he said that they were youma, whatever that is."  
  
This new person really got Luna's attention. She had regained her memories  
of the Silver Millennium and she didn't remember any attacks on the Moon  
Palace before Metallia arrived. Something must have followed them through the  
time portal.  
  
"Do you know where the new senshi was from?"  
  
"He said that the senshi called herself Sailor Earth. Isn't that cool, now  
we have a senshi of the Earth."  
  
"But Earth doesn't have and can't have a female senshi!" Luna exclaimed  
suddenly. The other women turned to her.  
  
"Why not?" One of the insisted.  
  
Luna blushed for eavesdropping. "Because the senshi of the Earth is a male.  
It's always been like that and always will be. The moon represents the  
female section of Earth with Princess Serenity."  
  
The girl pouted and turned away from Luna. She must have been the leader,  
one of the most popular of the group because all of the others followed her  
lead. Usagi must be up to something. It made sense, because Usagi wouldn't  
have been able to become Sailor Moon without bringing herself into trouble.  
But if she took a disguise -it sounded like she had- she could help the  
senshi.  
  
Mamoru must not be with her otherwise those girls would have mentioned him  
first. Luna figured that all three of them must have been split up. If they were at the Moon  
Palace or near it they would attend the masked ball. She might be able to  
grab them during it. For the rest of the trip Luna sat there and stared out  
the window. It had been such a long time since she had been here. It was  
just as she remembered.  
  
In a short time she arrived in the main city. There were people arriving  
from everywhere to attend the ball. In the rush of people she slipped into a  
dress shop. It was crowded, but not as much as the streets. It was mostly  
filled with girls looking and trying on the marvelous looking dresses that  
they could never possibly afford. Luna found a white one with blue trim that  
suited her. She paid with the coins. It seemed she had enough money for  
whatever she would need. It was a fairly cheap dress. Waiting for evening to  
come she stalled and walked around the city, remembering all of the good  
times she had. It seemed that she hadn't actually just recovered all of her  
memories, but a process had been started. She kept on remembering things  
gradually. Since becoming a cat had granted her immortality near the  
beginning of the Silver Millennium, she had quite a lot to remember.  
  
She bought dinner at a fine looking restaurant. By the time she got out she  
had quite an understanding of how the lunarian currency worked from all the  
times she had been using it. After she had finished she slipped into the  
ladies' room and changed into her new dress. When she got outside it was  
starting to get dark. But there was no way she could have gotten lost  
because there was a stream of people leading towards the palace. When she  
reached the ballroom it was too crowded to find anyone. All of the men were  
wearing masks. There was no way she was going to find Mamoru in all these  
people with different masks. Maybe she could recognize Usagi. But she would  
have some kind of disguise on. She might look completely different. What the  
disguise pen could do had endless possibilities.  
  
She just made her way to the side and leaned against a wall. She tried to  
look through the crowd to see all of the different people but it was of no  
use. She should have gotten there early. Everyone was starting to pair off.  
Luna closed her eyes and sighed. She wouldn't be able to do anything until  
the next day. When she opened her eyes there was this incredibly  
good-looking guy standing in front of her, holding his hand out, as an  
offering for a dance. It would be rude to decline, so Luna went off with him  
onto the dance floor. Maybe Usagi would recognize her instead. Probably not.  
She'd probably be drooling over all of the guys. Luna zoned out into her  
partner's eyes and danced the night away.  
  
The next thing Luna knew they had stopped dancing and her partner was saying  
something about having to leave. She nodded. He gave her a kiss and left.  
Luna was happy. She hadn't had this much fun in a long while. She decided to  
leave before the ball ended so not to get caught in the rush. She didn't  
even notice the two couples still dancing and everyone watching them. She  
went out into the palace courtyard and dashed behind a bush when no one was  
looking. She sat down and turned back into a cat. Being careful to stay in  
the shadows Luna made her way around the palace to the royal gardens. She  
found a nice tree and laid down to sleep the night away there.  
  
The next morning Luna woke up nice and early refreshed enough to concentrate  
on the situation. She could have a catnap later. She decided to take a tour  
of the palace. Most of the people would be sleeping because of how late last  
night's party went on for. Luna crawled out from under the leaves she had  
slept under and stretched. She transformed back into a human. She was still  
wearing the dress she had worn the night before at the ball. She took her  
regular clothes out of her subspace pocket and changed in the early sun. The  
white dress was put in the subspace pocket along with the tiara she had been  
wearing. If there was anyone up and about they wouldn't question her being  
there because of her crescent moon.  
  
She wandered around in the garden for a while, going around in circles until  
she reached the gates leading out of the gardens. She walked down the long,  
beautifully crafted walls, her footsteps on the clean and polished floors.  
Every so often a servant hurried past her, having some special job or daily  
chore to attend to. When people began to get up she was finishing up her  
simple tours. She made her way to her past selves' quarters. All through  
yesterday and today her memories had and were still being restored. She  
briefly remembered meeting her future self one day. Maybe this was it, only  
this time she was the future version.  
  
When she had lived in the Moon Palace she had had a small room, a perfect  
size for a cat which branched off from the princess's room. Some nights she  
slept alone and some nights on Princess Serenity's bed. Luna slipped into  
her old room, and she saw her past self snoozing on a pillow. She was still  
working on how she was going to introduce herself, but her memories of the  
event were coming back. She covered her mouth and smiled when she remembered  
how she had been woken up on that day, so long ago.  
  
She went into the princess' room; the door had been left open. The princess  
was sleeping soundly, probably being awake through the whole ball and much  
afterwards. Luna filled a cup with cold water and returned to Luna's room.  
She was about to reach out and touch Luna when a time lesson taught by  
Setsuna for Usagi came to mind. Something about the horizon of time, and if  
something after it came in contact with something before it the results  
would be disastrous. The horizon of time was about 500 years after the  
Silver Millennium she recalled. Luna pulled her hand back and grabbed a  
towel to put around it. She reached out and rubbed the cat's belly. She  
began to purr in her sleep. Luna had made sure the door was closed before  
she did this. Just before the cat woke up, Luna poured the cold water all  
over her and jumped back. Luna, the cat jumped up and screamed and slashed  
all around herself. When she finally recovered her composure she noticed  
Luna the human, sitting there laughing her head off. "Oh Luna, it was so  
funny. You should have seen it."  
  
The wet Luna growled. "And who are you? And what are you doing in my room! I  
will have you punished, whoever you are. Intrusion on royalty is a capital  
offense!" She shook her fur and water sprayed everywhere. She dived under a  
towel and dried herself off.  
  
"Come on Luna, you know me."  
  
Luna, the cat looked up at the woman. Their eyes met and she saw the  
familiar crescent moon, only on someone she had never met before. "W-who are  
you?" Luna, from the future turned back into a cat. "How can this be? You  
look just like me. What is your evil mission? Are you some kind of  
shapeshifter?"  
  
"No Luna, I'm you. Only from about 1000 years in the future. Sailor Pluto  
sent me back after some people."  
  
"If you're me, then what am I thinking about?"  
  
"Either going back to sleep for a catnap before you have to do something or  
the safety of the princess."  
  
"But, how?"  
  
"Like I told you, I'm from the future. This is the second time I've been in  
this conversation."  
  
"Then why are you here?"  
  
"The sailor senshi in the future, lost an important battle. Sailor Pluto  
sent the future reincarnation of Princess Serenity into this time, and her  
protector Tuxedo Kamen followed. I followed them. Are there any puzzling  
people who have arrived in the last few days."  
  
The Luna of the past seemed to trust her now. "Yes, now that I think about  
it, quite a few days ago, and quite suddenly Princess Gaia arrived from  
Earth. I didn't even know she existed. The Queen seemed to accept her  
quickly so I didn't give it a second thought. Is this your princess? She  
doesn't look anything like my princess."  
  
"That's because she is using the disguise pen to use an advanced disguise on  
herself. I believe that's also how she became Sailor Earth. She used the  
pen to change her fuku."  
  
"You mean the disguise pen is actually used in the future? That's good to hear.  
But what's this about the future princess becoming a sailor senshi."  
  
"If Princess Serenity uses the ginzuishou, she will become the senshi of the  
moon, Sailor Moon. In the future, danger threatens her so it was necessary  
for that transformation to occur. But in this time she would rouse a bunch  
of trouble if she fought as Sailor Moon. And the only way that the senshi  
can beat the youma is with Sailor Moon's powers. I believe something came  
after us through the portal we came here in."  
  
"Well that's certainly a good story. I believe you, but we better go see the  
queen. You better do that human trick of yours. People will be wondering  
about two cats that look the same." The Luna of the future nodded and  
changed back into a human.  
  
"You can do that too. You just need some time. And the help of a certain  
white cat." Luna, the cat, followed Luna the human down the halls of the  
Moon Palace. Luna, the human, paused at Queen Serenity's door.  
  
"Go right in. The Queen is always up bright and early. You should know  
that."  
  
"I know, I know. It's just I haven't been here in such a long time." The two  
Lunas went into Queen Serenity room.  
  
A couple hours later they were finished explaining the situation to her.  
Queen Serenity wasn't that surprised to see a second Luna after meeting  
Usagi. Luna was welcomed to enjoy her stay until Sailor Pluto came for her.  
Although Luna wasn't too happy to find that Usagi had lied to the  
queen.-that she was a future descendant rather that reincarnation she  
understood and told the Queen no different. When Luna the cat tried to say  
something Luna the human gave her a little kick. Queen Serenity gave  
directions to Usagi's room. Then Queen Serenity and the Luna of the past  
went off to attend to their daily duties. When Luna reached Usagi's room it  
was empty. She looked out the window to see the sailor senshi fighting some  
youma. She figured Usagi was somewhere down there. Luna changed back into a  
cat. She took this chance to have her catnap and fell asleep on Usagi's bed.  
  
She was surprised but happy when Usagi showed up with Mamoru. Now they were  
all together and just had to wait now. She could get Mamoru's story later.  
  
The next morning Usagi was up early and told Luna that she wanted to go out  
for an early morning workout.  
  
Usagi changed into some clothes suitable for exercising and slipped out of her room with Luna. It  
was quiet and when she passed through recently cleaned spots in the hall  
that were still wet her shoes squeaked. The palace guards at the gate  
must have thought that since she was already in the palace there was no  
threat to letting her out. Once in the city she jogged through the alleys  
and shadows so not to draw attention. In a short time she reached the  
outskirts of the city and the beginning of the woods. Usagi looked around  
but saw no one and transformed into Sailor Earth. She began to run through  
the forest. Luna could barely keep up. Just before Sailor Earth went out of  
range she jumped and grabbed on to her back bow in her teeth and she held on  
for dear life. After what seemed like a very short time to Usagi she stopped  
running and Luna slammed into her back. She was in a clearing, looking up  
into the sky at Earth. Luna was about to yell at Sailor Earth for running so  
fast when Sailor Earth picked up Luna and gave her a hug. "Oh, isn't it  
beautiful Luna? Everything is so beautiful here but I wonder what happened  
to our friends."  
  
"Don't worry Usagi; remember, you have even seen your future self so you  
know it will turn out all right."  
  
"I know, I know. It's just . . ." Suddenly Luna and Sailor Earth were  
blasted apart. Luna took most of the blast. Four youma descended into the  
clearing. One of them shot a wave of fire at Sailor Earth which she jumped  
over. "Sorry guys, you picked the wrong girl to mess today." She took off  
her tiara and threw it at the youma, which stunned them. "MOON SPIRAL HEART  
ATTACK!" Sailor Earth dusted three of the youma. She faced the remaining  
youma.  
  
"Sailor Earth, watch out behind!" Sailor Earth heard Luna's cry and turned  
around to face four more youma. Suddenly there was a piercing pain in her  
back and she fell forwards. The youma that was left behind her had stuck a  
knife into her back. It flooded her body with dark energy and she screamed.  
From the end of the knife shot ropes of energy that surrounded her. An end  
shot out to one of the youma. Luna ran at the youma holding the rope with  
claws flailing but was blasted back. She was blasted again and sent crashing  
back into a tree. They dragged Sailor Earth across the ground a little ways  
and then took off into the air.  
  
Luna just laid there on the ground and watched. Tuxedo Kamen came running and  
knelt down beside her. "I felt Usagi was in trouble. What happened? Are you  
alright Luna? Where is Usagi?"  
  
"We were . . ambushed by a group of youma. I'll be alright but they took  
Usagi to the east. They flew off with her."  
  
Tuxedo Kamen stood up. "You're sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yes. Now go save Usagi. I'll catch up later."  
  
Tuxedo Kamen took a look at the sky and then at Luna. "Alright." He ran off.  
  
"Good luck. . . ."  
  
********** 


	17. Episode 16: Everything Starts Somewhere

All right, here's episode 16! I used my imagination quite a lot in this episode, and  
I'm fairly happy with how it turned out. Enjoy!  
And I do believe that reviews help make chapters come out faster. ^^  
  
Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 2, Beyond the Horizon of Time  
Episode 16 'Everything Starts Somewhere'  
  
The day was at its peak when Luna made it back to the Moon Palace. The sun  
was directly over the palace. Luna had changed into her human form so not to  
attract attention. She collapsed at the gates. "I must . . see the queen,"  
she managed before she fell unconscious from loss of blood. You see, when  
she transformed into a human her wounds increased in size. The guard was  
about to just call on a healer when Luna rolled over, and he saw the  
crescent moon on her forehead because her tiara had fallen off. He told a  
younger soldier to watch the gates while he picked her up and carried her  
into the palace. He took her to the sick area and let the healers take care  
of her. He then went off to find the queen.  
  
Queen Serenity was in a council with the princess senshi when the guard came  
running into the room. He bowed, stopping to catch his breath and everyone  
looked at him. "Sorry to interrupt your majesty, but a young woman collapsed  
in front of the gates who said she had to see you. Right now she's with the  
healers."  
  
"And if every woman who wanted to see me, did so, what to you think would  
happen?" She replied as the guard got closer.  
  
"But she's different," he said as he leaned into whisper. "She has the  
sign," he said for her ears only and touched his forehead. "She's hurt  
pretty bad."  
  
Queen Serenity looked across the table at the princesses. "Very well, we  
will all come." They got up from the table and followed the guard to the  
sick bay. When they entered Queen Serenity walked up to Luna and  
recognized her instantly. "How is she?"  
  
One of the healers came up and changed some bandages. "She's lucky that she  
got here when she did because we were just able to fix the immediate damage  
before it got too serious. She lost quite a lot of blood. Her dress was  
soaked in it. She's coming to but will need quite a few day's rest.  
  
Luna slowly came aware of her surroundings. She was in a bed, and there was  
cloth wrapped around various parts of her body. Everything was blurry and  
she was scared, but as her vision returned she found herself looking into  
the eyes of Queen Serenity. She was completely naked except for a blanket  
over her and she hurt all over. "Nice to see you're alright. What happened?"  
  
"They took her," Luna said as tears came into her eyes because of the way  
they had treated her.  
  
"Who? Who did who take?"  
  
"The youma, they ambushed and took Sailor Earth. Tuxedo Kamen went after her  
but he won't be able to save her by himself." The princesses, who were  
gathered around the bed gasped as they found that the one who always came to  
their aid so that they could defeat the youma had been captured.  
  
"Where, where did they take her?"  
  
"To the east of somewhere in the forest."  
  
"It's likely that their base is on the edge of the Moon Kingdom because all  
that is to the east is forest and then a mountain ridge at the end. That's  
where they will have taken her."  
  
Suddenly the young soldier who had been assigned to watch the gate came  
running into the room. He knelt down. "Your majesty, there is a group of  
twenty or so youma flying towards the palace. They will be here in a matter  
of minutes."  
  
"Oh no, what are we going to do?" cried one of the princesses. "Without the  
help of Sailor Earth or that mysterious man, how will we win?"  
  
Luna looked at her and the Queen Serenity. "Give them the star power."  
  
"What? What do you mean?"  
  
"Use the ginzuishou to increase their power. Don't worry, it will work. Even  
if it is a little too much power, it will annihilate the youma. They think  
they have the upper hand. If you defeat them now, they will stop attacking  
for the time being."  
  
Queen Serenity nodded. "It is the only way. The four of you, please hold out  
your transformation wands." They did so. Queen Serenity held out her hand,  
palm up and the ginzuishou appeared in it. Four beams of white light  
traveled from the crystal to the wands. The ends of the wands glowed and  
stars formed around the symbols of their planets. The princesses stared at  
their new wands. "Now go, you don't have much time."  
  
"Mercury Star Power, make up!"  
"Mars Star Power, make up!"  
"Jupiter Star Power, make up!"  
"Venus Star Power, make up!"  
  
In a flash of light and colours the sailor senshi now stood there. They ran  
through the halls of the palace and people moved out of the way for them.  
They ran out of the front of the palace and Sailor Mars stopped. Sailor  
Venus kept on going. "Come on. We have to get away from the palace. Mercury,  
where are the youma?"  
  
As the senshi ran down the middle of the main street Sailor Mercury touched  
her earring and her visor appeared across the eyes. "They're just  
approaching the edge of the forest. We have to get out of the city before  
they get here." All of the senshi started to run at inhuman speeds through  
the city.  
  
**********  
  
"I just wish the young senshi had someone to guide them. Elder Mars has  
caught a pretty severe illness and has been bedridden for the time being.  
And the other Elder senshi are still a day away at the least." Luna just  
listened to Queen Serenity worry like a mother about her children. Well,  
they kind of were her children. Queen Serenity held the ginzuishou up in  
front of her in two hands and closed her eyes. "Please let the senshi not  
come to misfortune with their new powers and be able to right the wrongs  
that have been done."  
  
The ginzuishou rose from Queen Serenity's hand and moved so that it was  
above Luna. It flashed. A locket appeared on Luna's chest. She was wearing a  
sailor fuku. The skirt was so dark that it looked like black when it was  
actually a dark shade of blue. Her bow was the same, and her collar. She  
stepped out of the bed and on to the floor. She still had bare feet. She  
turned, then looked back across the bed at the window. She screamed, and  
fell on to the bed in pain. She was screaming very loudly. One of the  
healers moved to help her but stopped. The back of her fuku was rising. Two  
wings broke out of the back of it and grew to an enormous size. All was  
silent. Luna stood back up and nearly tipped over from the extra weight.  
Queen Serenity and Luna's eyes met. Not a word was spoken. Luna ran across  
the room and jumped out the window. She fell a little bit and then figured  
out how to use her wings. She swiftly flew across the city.  
  
"Fire Soul!" Sailor Mars shot a stream of fire up at the flying youma. They  
were almost out of the borders of the city. It got the youmas' attention and  
all of them flew down after the senshi.  
  
"Supreme Thunder!" The youma were briefly stunned. They had not expected the  
senshi to even try to fight because of their lost comrade. The group reached  
the clearing in between the city and the forest. Sailor Mercury turned  
around to face the approaching youma. The youma stopped a short way away  
from them. What could the senshi, and the weakest one of all possibly do?"  
  
Sailor Mercury held her arms in front of her against her body. She closed  
her eyes and recalled, the knowledge she had already gained from when she  
transformed. The air seemed to grow colder. "Shining Aqua Illusion!" The  
youma who had landed experienced a feeling of the ultimate freezing  
sensation, and then nothing. They were frozen. Their frozen bodies  
shattered. The other half of the youma landed to take their place. They were  
puzzled. They had been told that they would have no trouble.  
  
Sailor Mercury's hands were completely frozen. She had not had complete  
control over the storm of ice. She was flooded with dizziness and fell back  
into Sailor Venus' arms. Sailor Jupiter took her place. The air around her  
buzzed with electricity. "Sparkling Wide," she could feel herself loosing  
control of the power, "Pressure!" She was struck by lightning, gathered it,  
and flung it at the youma. It fried which ever of them it even tapped, which  
was all of them. It also gave Sailor Jupiter some serious electrical burns  
on her arms. She lost all feeling in her arms. She started to go into shock.  
She was laid down on the ground. Sailor Mercury tried to give instructions  
on first aid but her mind was on spin dry. Sailor Mars called out for help  
towards the city. From the other direction Luna dropped out of the sky.  
  
"It's you!" Sailor Venus said. But you were,-who are you?"  
  
"A friend," Luna replied as she stood next to Sailor Jupiter. Her hands  
glowed and glittering dust fell from her fingers. A wave of white light and  
light tints of colours fell down from her hands and the burn marks on  
Jupiter's arms healed up. She did the same to Sailor Mercury and the ice on  
her arms melted away. "Come on," she said as she helped Mercury up. "Sailor  
Earth needs our help."  
  
********  
  
Sailor Earth was in a net that was flying just above the trees. Tuxedo Kamen  
wasn't too far behind but he was becoming fatigued. They were all  
approaching a cliff. When they got close to it a whole bunch of other flying  
youma flew down from a fortress embedded in the cliff. Tuxedo Kamen had to  
stop and fight while Sailor Earth was carried through the front door of the  
fortress. They went through a maze of hallways. Sailor Earth was only  
partially conscious to her surroundings. When eventually they came to a stop  
she was just dropped onto the floor. A woman stepped out of the dark. She  
lifted her hand and Sailor Earth floated up into the air, out of the net.  
Then she pointed to a board in the middle of the room and Sailor Earth went  
flying against it. Steel clamps closed themselves all around her body. "It's  
so nice to see you could make it."  
  
Sailor Earth looked meekly up at the woman. Her vision blurred in and out.  
There was blood dripping down her back. "The sailor senshi will come for  
me."  
  
"I very much doubt that. Because in the very near future I'll be releasing  
my Titan on the Moon Palace and with you here the senshi won't stand a  
chance Sailor Earth. I never knew there was a senshi of the Earth but there  
won't be one much longer."  
  
"No! I won't... I won't let you hurt the senshi..." she tried to break from  
her bonds but was unsuccessful.  
  
"Ha ha ha. I will do whatever I wish Sailor Earth."  
  
"Since you're going to kill me anyway stop calling be Sailor Earth. I'm not  
Sailor Earth!"  
  
The woman sneered. "Sure you aren't; you're not going to be getting away  
from here anyway. I'm not scared of you Sailor Earth."  
  
Usagi looked up at the woman and smiled. Maybe she wasn't as powerful as she  
thought she was. After all, she had to put Sailor Earth in chains. Time to  
find out. "Sailor Earth isn't the one you should be afraid of. It's me."  
Usagi changed back from Sailor Earth into Sailor Moon. She closed her eyes.  
"Moon Eternal, make up!"  
The bonds holding her shattered as Sailor Moon went into her eternal  
transformation. "I'm not going to let you hurt anyone! I'm pretty soldier  
Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I'm going to punish you!"  
  
The women was taken back. "What! Where's Sailor Earth? Who are you?"  
  
"There never was any Sailor Earth. Just me. I'm the one who you followed  
through the portal. And because of harming this peaceful world, I will  
banish you."  
  
The woman had a scared look on her face. Then she smiled, and looked  
incredibly evil. She held her arms out at Sailor Moon and launched a flood  
of dark energy at her.  
  
**********  
  
Tuxedo Kamen saw a whole army of youma coming towards him from the fortress  
Sailor Earth was taken to so he dived down into the forest. Well, actually  
it wasn't an army, only about three. He jumped into the branches of a tree  
and watched as they landed onto the ground and split off to look for him in  
three different directions. He picked a direction they didn't take and made  
his way towards the cliff from a different angle. The cliff went straight up  
so Tuxedo Kamen had to climb up the side of it slowly and carefully. He  
jumped the last few feet up to the door which led into the interior of the  
cliff.. He ran through and found himself with multiple choices of which way  
to go. He heard Usagi scream and just picked one direction. He ran back and  
forth through the maze of passages but he just came to a dead end. He smiled  
and threw blue roses against the walls around him. The walls crumbled. He  
just pointed himself in the direction that the screams were coming from and  
went as fast as he could.  
  
*********  
  
Sailor Moon was shocked over and over again by the woman's dark energy. She  
wasn't letting up. Suddenly, she stopped. "My dark Titan arises! Ha ha ha!"  
  
**********  
  
"Come on," Sailor Mars called, "We're almost there." We could see the cliff  
clearly now. Suddenly the ground started to shake. Sailor Venus and I jumped  
up into trees to get a better look around.  
  
"W-what's happening?"  
  
Luna spun around, looking for the source. She flew high up into the air but  
couldn't see anything happening at the cliff. She called down to say so.  
Then she looked over in the direction we had come and her mouth dropped  
open. "Oh my, LOOK!"  
  
I could just see something rising from the ground to way above the trees.  
Just in front of the city a giant had arisen from the ground. Now that it  
was reaching its full height even the other senshi on the ground caught  
glimpses of it. "Oh no! It's going to attack the city. We're never going to  
get back in time," I cried.  
  
Luna floated down from her position in the sky. "You must use the sailor  
teleport."  
  
"The sailor whos-it whats-it?" Sailor Venus said. I gave her a dirty look  
and the two of us jumped down from the trees.  
  
Luna took our hands -she was now on the ground- and I took Mars' and Venus  
to Jupiter's. "Now concentrate on what the front of the city looks like.  
Focus yourself on that place. Image yourself there. Then let yourself go."  
It sounded pretty silly when she said it, but it worked almost like she  
described it. The wind around us began to pick up. Since we all had our eyes  
closed, we couldn't see the wild energy bouncing back and forth between us  
but we could feel it, and sense it. Then I felt nothing. A wave of nausea  
washed over me but I didn't waver. I opened my eyes to find myself staring  
at the giant's feet. We had appeared right in between it and the city.  
  
*******  
  
The woman turned away from Sailor Moon to look at a viewscreen that was  
pointed in the direction of the Moon Palace from the cliff. The giant was  
towering over everything. Sailor Moon got to her feet, despite how weak she  
was and pointed her sceptre at the woman. But the woman spun around in a  
flash and held her hand up. Sailor Moon began to choke. She put her hands up  
around her neck and fell to her knees. "I . . can't, . breathe . . ." Time  
seemed to slow down.  
  
A rose.  
A rose was flying through the air.  
The woman brought her hand back and cried out in pain.  
Sailor Moon was released.  
There was a rose going completely through the woman's hand.  
But there were also two more in her back.  
Tuxedo Kamen landed between Sailor Moon and his opponent. He helped Sailor  
Moon to her feet. The woman reached back and wrenched one of the roses out  
of her back.  
Tuxedo Kamen held his cape up in front of Sailor Moon and himself. The woman  
pulled the other rose out of her back. She turned on Tuxedo Kamen. She held  
her hands up in the air.  
Tuxedo Kamen brought his cape down and ten bright red roses flew from him.  
They embedded themselves in the woman's chest and abdomen. She yelled out  
from the stinging pain but stayed standing up. She would not show weakness.  
Maybe she should have.  
Tuxedo Kamen held a crystal rose up to Sailor Moon.  
Sailor Moon took it in her wobbly hands and brought it up to her lips. She  
handed it back to Tuxedo Kamen. The two of them turned around and started to  
walk towards the way Tuxedo Kamen had come. The hole in the wall.  
"Stop!" the woman screamed at them. "You can't escape."  
Tuxedo Kamen spun around and backhanded the crystal rose. It landed right in  
the middle of the woman's chest. Beginning from the rose her flesh began to  
turn into stone. A couple of blue roses thrown and the screen she had been  
looking at was disabled. Tuxedo Kamen helped Sailor Moon limp out of the  
fortress.  
  
When they got outside the youma below that were looking for Tuxedo Kamen saw  
him and flew up to engage in battle. Suddenly they fell back. Back to the  
ground. Their energy was gone. Their creator had died. The wind blew them  
away, -as dust. "We have to go help the senshi," Sailor Moon said faintly.  
Tuxedo Kamen looked out across the many miles to where the titan stood. After  
all, all journeys begin with a single step. Tuxedo Kamen jumped down to the  
ground and began to run as Eternal Sailor Moon took to the skies.  
  
********  
  
This was the last line of defense. If it got any farther, the Moon Kingdom  
would be finished. After all, I had the ginzuishou with me so the queen  
wouldn't be able to use it if needed. I just hoped that the senshi would be  
able to control their powers this time. Maybe if I helped this time. Sailor  
Mars and Jupiter stepped forward in determination. They had all recovered  
from the sailor teleport-or at least I hoped that they had.  
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"  
"Burning Malanda!"  
  
I held my hands up and cast magical energy on the two attacking senshi. They  
were able to continue their attack. It looked like they had control. After  
Sailor Jupiter threw her ball of lightning her tiara became a constant  
conduct antenna and she just continued to flow electricity into the enemy.  
Sailor Mars released a tube of continuous fire. There was no way the senshi  
would be able to do this alone. The attacks didn't really do a whole lot of  
good. They had stopped its forward motion but they weren't doing any damage.  
The senshi started to strain from using the vast amounts of energy necessary  
to continue this assault. The titan got tired of it too. It brought its fist  
down right in front of all of us and we all fell. It stepped over us in one  
swift motion and entered the boundaries of the city. "Nooooooo," Sailor Mars  
cried and climbed back to her feet. The other senshi were quick to follow.  
  
"Venus Love-me chain!" The chain of hearts wrapped itself around the titan,  
delaying its forward motion.  
"Burning Malanda!"  
"Shining Aqua Illusion!"  
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"  
  
All of the senshi attacked at once. For us, it was as if time had lost its  
meaning. We had no recollection of how long that attack was made. The next  
clear memory I had is when the titan decided to fight back. We had done  
quite a bit of damage. It was starting to come apart in various places. It  
broke Venus' chain and turned around. Now, being activated for so long, it  
had gained conscious thought. It brought its hands up and then down to its  
waist. When it stopped we all experienced extreme pain. The ground broke  
apart in some places. Gravity was being increased. We all fell to the  
ground, unable to get back up.  
  
********  
  
"This is it. Are you sure you're going to be all right?" asked Tuxedo Kamen  
as they neared the edge of the forest.  
  
"I have to be. I may be the only one who can stop it now." When they broke  
through the edge of the forest they saw the fall of the senshi. Sailor Moon  
flew down to the ground, and a little unsteady on her feet, ran forwards  
towards them. She stopped in front of them, in the plain sight of the titan.  
Tuxedo Kamen came up behind her. He took out his sword, (remember he has one  
now), and held it up into the air in two hands. Then he brought it down and  
stabbed it into the ground. The ground was shocked with energy. The ground  
surrounding the two of them began to shake, and then rose up about thirty  
feet in the air. They had the creature's attention now. "How dare you attack  
this peaceful kingdom. I'm pretty soldier Sailor Moon! On behalf of the  
moon, I will punish you!" The senshi on the ground, and any people who had  
fled from the city and then doubled back to get in on the action, heard her  
words clearly. Sailor Moon held her sceptre up into the air, and then began  
her attack.  
  
"Moonlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" Ribbons of hearts swirled all around the  
titan. A dizzy spell washed over Sailor Moon and she almost lost the attack.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen put his hands on her shoulders. "Soul to soul, my energy to you,  
your power, ours." His hands glowed and Sailor Moon's attack power  
increased. The titan began to change from its brownish-red colour towards a  
gray. It's glowing red eyes, went black. It stopped moving. Now, very dead,  
it began to tilt backwards, to fall onto the city.  
  
"Noooooooo," Sailor Moon cried. Tuxedo Kamen removed his hands from her  
shoulders. He threw a crystal rose right into the main stream of her attack.  
It hit its mark right in the titan's chest. Just as it fell onto the city,  
the titan turned into dust and blew away. Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon looked out  
across where a great evil had just stood, and then collapsed into each  
other's arms.  
  
********  
  
Luna climbed out of the ruble of the ground of where the titan had left it  
in bits and pieces when it had attacked the senshi. She flew up to where  
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were. Luna was alright, the ginzuishou having  
protected her, but she still had had the wind knocked out of her.  
"Congratulations, I'm proud of you two." Sailor Moon looked up from Tuxedo  
Mask's shoulder.  
  
"But what are we going to do, to explain without giving away the future?"  
Luna paused. She turned around and looked out across the land.  
  
"I, . . . I think it would be best if Princess Gaia and Sailor Earth, and  
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, just disappeared. There's no knowing what  
happened to Sailor Pluto. You two may as well enjoy the Silver Millennium;  
see all there is to see."  
  
"But wouldn't you come with us Luna?"  
  
"Well, to Earth, but not any farther. I still remember space travel and I  
didn't find it very pleasant. And anyway, I can stay and have Queen Serenity  
contact me if Sailor Pluto shows up."  
  
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen slowly got to their feet. "You two go on. I'll  
catch up later. I'll stay and make sure that the senshi will be all right."  
  
"Thanks Luna," tears were filling Usagi's eyes. She and Luna hugged. "Maybe  
now , I'll have a chance to be a normal girl." In an irregular  
universe.  
  
Sailor Moon returned to Tuxedo Kamen and on their way down to the ground Luna  
called after them, "You'll never be a normal girl, but will always be  
special Usagi." Luna turned back, from the sound of a groan from one of the  
senshi and the palace guards who were coming towards them."  
  
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen flew off together, just enjoying each other's  
presence. Well, actually they weren't flying, but since the moon had such a  
low gravity and they could already jump high and Usagi could slow their  
descent even more with her wings it seemed like they were flying. They  
landed to a stop beside the palace gate, in a place where no one could see  
them. Tuxedo Kamen jumped up, feet first over the gate. On his way up he  
caught Sailor Moon's arms; at that instant she jumped, and the two of them  
arched over the wall and through a hole in the grid-like shield which  
covered the palace grounds. They jumped from windowsill to balcony to the  
windows of their rooms and slipped in. They gathered what few belongings  
they had gathered in their short stay, stuffed them into sub-space pockets  
and left the rooms. They traveled down the hallways of the palace; being  
transformed allowed them to move extremely quiet. They ran into who they  
were looking for. "Hello, your majesty."  
  
Queen Serenity, stopped, startled. She hadn't seen anyone in the hallway  
when she entered. She turned to find a changed Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen  
beside her in the hallway. "What do you think you're doing in here like  
that?! What am I supposed to say if someone saw you?"  
  
"Don't worry, we won't be staying long. I came to say goodbye, and thanks."  
  
"You're leaving? Did Sailor Pluto arrive?"  
  
"No. We're leaving the palace. We want to see the beauty and wonders of this  
time. But Luna will stay within contact. Right now she's with the senshi.  
They'll fill you in later. Thanks for everything." Sailor Moon and Tuxedo  
Mask curtsied and Queen Serenity looked back and forth down the hall for  
people. When she returned her eyes to them, they were gone. Little did she  
know that later she would be the one to be thankful.  
  
********  
  
"So where would you like to go first?"  
  
"How about you show me where you grew up on Earth?"  
  
"Why not? Everything starts somewhere."  
  
********  
Next up, the story of Sailor Pluto, which brings the entire situation into perspective! 


	18. Episode 17: The Reality Crisis

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 2, Beyond the Horizon of Time  
Episode 17 'The Reality Crisis'  
  
Setsuna groaned as she woke up. She found herself lying in a bed, in her  
sailor fuku. She didn't remember transforming. "It's about time you woke  
up." The room was dark. A figure stepped out of the shadows up to the bed.  
He was still shadowed. "How do you feel?"  
  
It was a man. Setsuna closed her eyes and felt around her body for injuries.  
She seemed alright. She remembered the explosion of the power generator and  
then trying to lift a bar off of Minako, and then immense pain. She tried to  
move. "I'm okay, I guess. Just a little stiff."  
  
"That's good. You're one of the last people I expected to show up here.  
You're lucky I was around to save you."  
  
"Who are you?" Setsuna slowly moved up into a sitting position with her legs  
hanging over the edge of the bed.  
  
"One like you; one who keeps events in order." The man held his hand up  
above her and the bed, and a sphere of light appeared there in the air,  
illuminating the whole room. The man was wearing a robe with the hood up and  
over his head. Setsuna's eyes adjusted to the light. The man pulled back his  
hood and there was a friendly face staring at her. "You should not be here.  
It is not right. The destruction of that vessel you were in has practically  
finished off the people who it is my duty to watch. It was something I had  
not foreseen."  
  
Setsuna put her head in her hands. "I know, damn it! This whole reality has  
been screwed up. I haven't had any correct visions in days."  
  
"What could have caused this? What went wrong?"  
  
Setsuna sighed. "A beyonder, . . . attacked my planet. I had no warning. My  
senshi didn't have a chance." The man gasped but said nothing. Setsuna  
continued looking at the floor. "The original timeline has been damaged past  
the point where it could have been fixed. That happened a long two years  
ago. Now I fear that my senshi are being gathered to fight back and I sent  
their leader into the past of this reality. There's no telling what damage  
sending them back to that time did. I have to return them to the current  
time but my talisman has been safeguarded beyond my reach."  
  
"Dear creator, a beyonder. This galaxy will never be the same again. And my  
people are gone." The man bowed his head. "My world has gone into a nuclear  
winter."  
  
Setsuna looked up at him. "Then your planet isn't finished. It may take a  
long time but the planet may eventually give life again."  
  
"I'm afraid not even time will heal it. Nothing can cure Galaxia's evil  
touch."  
  
"Who?"  
  
The man thought about it and then found his visitor analyzing him. "Ah,  
never mind. But how rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is  
unpronounceable in your tongue so call me Orion. It is what the ancients of  
my planet called me. 'Star holder' in their language. I have watched over  
this portion of space for many millennia." The man had taken a few steps  
back into the room.  
  
Setsuna, unsteady on her feet, slowly got up. "I am known as Sailor Pluto,  
but you may call be Setsuna." She held her hands palms up from her sides for  
a second and then her sailor fuku disappeared. She suddenly felt much  
stronger. The transformation had been putting a drain on her stamina. She  
was wearing the clothes Haiku had given to her. "I too have watched the  
birth and death of great civilizations. Where are we right now?"  
  
"Let me start at the beginning of this story. I was doing nothing when I  
found the ship that carried the remains of my people falling out of the  
orbit it had above the planet. I transported to the ship to find you and  
your friends. They transported away but you were left behind. Probably  
because you were unconscious. Just before the ship crashed into the planet,  
I grabbed you and transported back to here, my home. I live on a deserted  
moon that circles the planet. As soon as we arrived you transformed into  
whatever you were wearing before. You've been here ever since."  
  
"Will you help me then? To take on the beyonder."  
  
"Well," Orion thought about it for a while, "I'll help you return to your  
home. I don't know whether I'll go much farther than that. I'll make no  
promises."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Pluto Planet Power, make up!" Now that she was away from the planet she was  
able to transform normally. The time staff, which was currently a staff,  
changed back to its original form, but was still without the garnet orb. She  
stepped beside Orion.  
  
"Now, allow me." He held his open hand up into the air. When he closed it a  
burst of energy shot out from it as a circle that got larger and larger. A  
sphere of energy formed around the two timetravellers and they vanished.  
  
Sailor Pluto and Orion appeared in a black void. "Where is this?" Setsuna  
asked, "This isn't where I come from."  
  
"First we have to find out what's being done about the beyonder. We must go  
see Sailor Bahamut." Setsuna gasped. No one saw him unless it was of  
absolute importance. He was the only one that beings like her and Orion  
answered to. Their surroundings lit up and they found themselves in a room.  
There were quite a few other people there and a bigger than regular size  
throne that had its back to all of the other people. There was a floor now  
but everything else was a void.  
  
"NICE TO SEE THAT THE LAST OF THE MAINTAINERS HAVE ARRIVED," Sailor  
Bahamut's voice boomed. The throne spun around and there was a dragon  
sitting on it. Setsuna looked around. There was only about ten people in the  
room. One of the others spoke up.  
  
"Excuse me your majesty but what do you mean by the last."  
  
Bahamut sighed, if a dragon could do that. There were creases of age on his  
ancient face. "AS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, THREE BEYONDERS HAVE ENTERED THIS  
REALITY. AS SOON AS THEY DID, THIS REALITY SPLIT INTO TWO. ONE REALITY THAT  
WOULD CONTINUE ON AS IF THE BEYONDERS HAD NEVER COME -THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE  
FORESEEN, AND THE REALITY WE'RE IN NOW. BECAUSE THE BEYONDERS ARE NOT  
AFFECTED BY ANYTHING OF THIS SORT THEY SIMPLY CHOSE ONE SIDE OF THE SPLIT.  
THEY TAKE OVER ONE HABITABLE PLANET THAT IS RICH IN RESOURCES, AND RESHAPE  
IN THEIR OWN MINDS. THE PEOPLE OF THE PLANET ARE JUST STUCK INTO IT  
SOMEWHERE. IN A WAY, YOU COULD SAY THAT THE PLANET HAS BEEN 'REBORN'. A  
WORLD REBIRTH." He paused a minute, letting this crucial information sink  
in. "NOW, AS FOR THE REASON WHY I SAID THAT THE LAST HAVE ARRIVED IS BECAUSE  
YOU ARE ALL THAT IS LEFT OF THE MAINTAINERS." Everyone in the room was  
shocked. In the beginning there had been hundreds of maintainers. "ALL OF  
THE OTHERS HAVE GONE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE EITHER TAKEN ON A BEYONDER, OR BEEN  
HUNTED DOWN BY ONE. THE DAMAGE THAT HAS BEEN DONE IS IRREVERSIBLE. THE ONLY  
OPTION NOW IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS REALITY FROM BECOMING COMPLETELY  
CORRUPTED IS TO DEFEAT THEM. I WILL DIVIDE YOU, AND SEND YOU IN GROUPS TO  
BATTLE EACH BEYONDER. YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY, FOR  
I FEAR THAT THEY HAVE BECOME TOO POWERFUL TO BE BEATEN. ORION, YOU WILL GO  
WITH SAILOR PLUTO. THERE ARE POWERFUL WARRIORS ON EARTH THAT MAY STAND A  
CHANCE SO I WANT YOU TWO TO GO THERE. A LIGHT OF HOPE IS FLASHING FROM YOUR  
SOLAR SYSTEM." He then pointed at some others, "YOU FOUR ARE TO GO  
TOGETHER," and pointed at the rest. "AND YOU FOUR TOGETHER. GOOD LUCK TO YOU  
ALL." There was now a strong sense of purpose in that room. Orion repeated  
the transportation technique he had used before and he and Sailor Pluto were  
gone. They arrived at a gate of time, Sailor Pluto's post.  
  
"Now where to?" asked Orion. "I have no idea where to go now." Sailor Pluto  
held up her hand, and concentrated. A window opened, an eye into any place  
or time she chose. She saw Haiku, and Sailor Venus, and Sailor Mars, and  
Sailor Jupiter, crawling through a tunnel.  
  
"I think she's almost done it," Sailor Pluto exclaimed.  
  
"Almost done what?"  
  
"The woman who destroyed the ship with your people on it. She's almost  
gathered all of my senshi. Now to find the ones I sent back in time for  
safety." The window closed. Orion grabbed her arm.  
  
"You mean you sent someone from when the beyonder attacked, back into the  
past? Who knows what kind of damage they could have done or how they would  
be treated!"  
  
"Don't worry. All of the senshi are reincarnated from a thousand years  
before. I just sent them to their past selves. And you don't need to fear  
too much damage, they have already been made aware of the horizon of time.  
If one of them had been erased from time then we would have noticed the  
changes." Sailor Pluto opened up another window. It showed the moon palace.  
She scanned through different times and places. "Oh," she complained, "This  
is going to take forever. I have to check every possible place they could  
be. I could really use my talisman right about now."  
  
Suddenly, even though they were in a void, a wind picked up. Sailor Pluto's  
fuku began to fly all over the place. Light began to swirl around and then  
met at a vortex. The garnet orb appeared on top of the time staff. She also  
would have transformed into an eternal fuku except for the fact that Pluto  
was already eternal. "Amazing, the senshi found the medallion. Now I can  
actually do some good." Sailor Pluto held the time staff out in front of  
her. A portal grew in front of her. "Now we can travel to the new world and  
help." Sailor Pluto was about to step into the portal when it collapsed. She  
got knocked off of her feet. Orion helped her back up.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"The beyonder has blocked off transportation into the time of its rule.  
We're going to have to settle with going into the past." Sailor Pluto opened  
a portal that led into the past and walked into it.  
  
"Any place is better than here," Orion said out to no one as he followed her  
through.  
  
********  
  
It was their two year anniversary of coming to the Silver Millennium. They  
weren't sure if Sailor Pluto was ever going to come for them, but the burden  
was helped because the Silver Millennium was very beautiful and there was so  
much to see and do, and they were together. They had decided to return to  
the moon for the occasion and to attend the annual masked ball. Luna, of  
course, was waiting for them when the transport arrived from Venus to Earth.  
She had insisted on not going any farther from the Moon than Earth, in case  
Sailor Pluto came so she could be contacted by Queen Serenity. But, that  
message had never come, and Luna had a great time traveling the Earth and  
the Moon as a woman instead of a cat. She was treated much differently.  
  
So the three of them got together for their final voyage to the Moon. Usagi  
couldn't stop talking about all of the sights she and Mamoru had seen on  
Venus, Mercury, Mars, and even all the way out to Jupiter. Usagi and Mamoru  
had planned it so that they would arrive on the day of the ball, with a  
whole afternoon before it to spare. Usagi and Luna spent the afternoon  
dragging Mamoru from store to store to find new dresses to wear for the  
occasion.  
  
Mamoru was so relieved when the stores finally closed. They went to a fancy  
restaurant and Usagi actually ate her meal slowly. When it got late they  
left for the palace.  
  
********  
  
Sailor Pluto appeared on a balcony above the ballroom. There were hundreds  
of people on the dancing floor below. Women in their marvelous dresses and  
men in their suits with a wide variety of masks. Orion came out behind her.  
He looked down at all of the people. "So she's down there?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure of it."  
  
"You're sure? This is the eleventh place we've checked."  
  
"Yes, she's right there." Sailor Pluto pointed to a young woman in a golden  
white dress talking to the queen.  
  
********  
  
"It's nice to see you back Usagi. I take it you had a good time touring the  
inner planets."  
  
"Yes, your majesty. And I take it there haven't been any problems since?"  
  
"Yes, all nice and peaceful. Just the way it's supposed to be."  
  
"That's good." At that moment a young man who obviously wasn't Mamoru  
offered to dance with Usagi. It being rude to decline Usagi accepted and was  
spun away. It was two or three partners later until she finally ran into  
Mamoru.  
  
********  
  
"So when are we going to get her?"  
  
"I'll wait until the ball is over. She has a great responsibility to take up  
and she should have this night to enjoy before it. Also, I have to wait for  
a beacon." Sailor Pluto changed back to Setsuna. Then in a blink of an eye  
she was wearing a beautifully decorated dress. "Should we have a dance until  
then?"  
  
"Well," Orion looked down at all of the people dancing. "I guess I could use  
a break from all of the work I've been doing." He flipped up his robe and  
then he was wearing a suit similar to some of the other men there. He took  
Setsuna's hand and they were transported down to the dance floor. They were  
swept away by the music.  
  
********  
  
When Usagi passed one of the other dancing couples she had a flash of  
recognition. She and the other woman's eyes met. The other woman smiled and  
spun away. "Mamoru," Usagi said, "I think I just saw Setsuna."  
  
Mamoru stopped to think for a second. "Maybe she's giving us this last dance  
before we have to leave."  
  
"Very considerate considering how she has treated me in the past."  
  
As the ball came to an end Setsuna and Orion made their way to the edge of  
the crowd and disappeared into a dark hallway. "Time for an impressive  
entrance I think," Orion said. "But for now I'd prefer to be unknown to the  
senshi. I will watch from afar."  
  
"Do as you wish. After I have her settled I'll come join you. I believe very  
soon the senshi on Earth right now are preparing so we'll be able to pass  
through into that time. Just remember, when the doorway opens, quickly slip  
through."  
  
"Fine." The two of them disappeared into a portal.  
  
Queen Serenity thanked all of the guests for coming and there was a steady  
flow of people to leave the ballroom. Usagi didn't move, but stayed in one  
place, not in the middle of the ballroom but close to it and held Mamoru  
against herself. When Luna realized that Usagi and Mamoru hadn't moved to  
leave yet she stopped and waited at the door. When the last of the guests  
had left the only ones still in the ballroom were the queen, the princess,  
and the princess court. "Excuse me, you two," the princess of Mercury said  
and stepped up to them, "You're going to have to leave now."  
  
Usagi and Mamoru separated. "Yes . . ." Usagi said and trailed off. A globe  
of energy appeared in the center of the room and floated down to a few feet  
off of the ground. The sphere grew and then faded away. Standing there was  
Sailor Pluto. "Pluto, I thought that I saw you. I've missed you." Usagi gave  
her a hug and she returned the gesture.  
  
Luna stepped forward. "Have you come to return us home?"  
  
Sailor Pluto nodded. "But not the home that you knew, my princess. Times  
have changed. There is a crisis. There will be much danger."  
  
Usagi puzzled. Sailor Pluto was giving her a choice. She could either stay  
here in the Moon Kingdom, or go back to her friends and fight a powerful  
foe. She only considered the first choice for less than a second. "Let's  
go!"  
  
Sailor Pluto smiled. She waved her staff in front of Usagi and Mamoru and  
they changed into Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. The Princess  
Serenity and the other princesses of the moon kingdom just stared. Usagi's  
disguised, brown hair had returned to its normal blonde and her normal  
odangos. She looked like a cross between the queen and the princess, but  
being neither. Queen Serenity smiled. "Good luck." she called. Luna turned  
back into a cat and jumped onto Princess Serenity's shoulder. Princess  
Serenity and Prince Endymion stood behind Sailor Pluto. The sphere of energy  
returned, and they were all whisked away. There was a flash of light, and  
only Queen Serenity would remember what actually happened. Pluto's attempt,  
to try to keep the damage done to the past minimal.  
  
********  
  
Sailor Pluto and her three companions found themselves in a blue and white  
swirling void. "Where are we?" asked Serenity.  
  
"We are on the border of the entrance, to the time of where our friends are  
right now. We have been locked out, but I think the senshi will open a door  
for us."  
  
"How do they even know where we are, and to help us?"  
  
"A very carefully placed prophecy planted into the timeline. There are many  
variables, but I believe that the prophecy has been revealed. Ever since I  
was helped by the one who was to rally the senshi so the prophecy could be  
completed."  
  
Serenity had a puzzled look on her face. "You lost me."  
  
"Do not worry. You do not need to understand. As I said, here comes the  
doorway." It started as a small black dot. Then it enlarged to the height of  
a person. Light of colours shined through it. Blue, red, orange, green,  
yellow, sea-green, purple, pink. Now, the four of them found themselves in  
the middle of an eight pointed star. Each of the planet's symbols around the  
edge, a crescent moon in the middle. Sailor Pluto disappeared. Before  
Serenity could say anything she disappeared too.  
  
The first sign Serenity had of being in new surroundings was the smell of  
the sea. She opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of an  
eight-pointed star in the middle of the ocean. Her friends who she knew and  
loved were all around her.  
  
" . . . . . and you guys know the rest," Usagi finished, finally coming to  
the end of her story. She was tired of Luna continuously cutting in to clear  
up specifics. They were at a table in the control room. She had told her  
story, and Mamoru had told his, and Luna had told hers. Setsuna would not  
tell what happened to her, but did tell the senshi about the situation.  
  
"I no longer have any sight over events to come. A beyonder, a being that  
knows no time, no space, no distance, invaded the timeline. These events  
were never supposed to happen, yet they have, so they must be dealt with.  
There is no way to return events into their original order so we're going to  
have to deal with them the way they are right now."  
  
"But what happened after you didn't get transported to my ship?" Haiku  
wanted to know.  
  
"Let's just say, I had some help from a friend." Sailor Pluto stood up from  
the table. "Now, you'll have to excuse me, I have things to take care of.  
I'll be around." Before anyone could object Sailor Pluto had vanished into a  
portal.  
  
Usagi looked around the table at all of the senshi, her friends. But being  
the slow-witted person she was, still couldn't figure out who the mysterious  
girl with the pink hair who everyone called Haiku was. Usagi was still in  
her princess guise. "Well, I don't know about you guys but I could sure use  
a rest." They had spent the rest of the day recuperating and sharing with  
each other their adventures. Usagi got up from the table. "Lead me to the  
beds." Haiku came over to Usagi, but there were no signs of recognition on  
her part.  
  
"Jeez, don't you recognize me Usagi? I don't even have the spell on me  
anymore. You're more of an airhead than I thought you'd be by now." The  
right words and the right look on Haiku's face brought Usagi around.  
  
"Chibi-usa!" Usagi exclaimed happily and gave her daughter a hug. "But you  
look so much older now." Chibi-usa quickly explained the story about the  
sword and her mission in short. "It's so nice to see you again. So are you  
going to show me where the beds are or not?" Haiku smiled and led Usagi off  
so she could have a nice long snooze.  
  
End episode 17.  
End of Part 2.  
  
Well there's the end of another part. It was meant to be short. Part 3 should be  
about the same length as part 1. 


	19. Prologue 2: A New Battle Begins

Here's the beginning third part. It doesn't change point of view but it does change to  
present tense once and a while. This is actually my 2nd attempt at writing this part  
since the path I was taking the first time got too boring after a couple of episodes.  
  
  
Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Prologue 'A New Battle Begins'  
  
This is a prologue of beginnings and endings. That which has been and that  
which could be. A new variable is unraveled.  
  
****  
  
Below the palace of Crystal Tokyo exists a multitude of empty corridors and  
passages. They have long before been mapped and explored. It has been at  
least 500 years since the last official exploration was finished. It is said  
that many of the tunnels were used during the founding of Crystal Tokyo, but  
are now no longer needed. But now, there are two people in one of those  
passageways. Queen Serenity, and her daughter Princess Usagi. A year and a  
half have passed since Princess Usagi returned from her training in the past  
and there has been no sign of the guardian of time, Sailor Pluto. Although  
these two members of the royal family don't realize it, this moment is going  
to be the turning point in time. The birth of the one small ray of hope for  
harmony in time. Maybe one of them does know. We shall never know.  
  
*****  
  
Princess Usagi was relieved when her mother finally stopped. Walking through  
these hallways completely disoriented her, and she hated it. Queen Serenity  
paused for a moment, as if contemplating whether to continue or not, then  
turned around to face her daughter. Standing aside, she revealed what she  
had brought the princess down to see. She feared it, yet trusted what it  
stood for.  
  
Something about what was on the wall immediately grabbed young Usagi's  
attention. It was lines and lines of a language that she didn't recognize.  
It had to be a language! She ran her finger over the symbols which had been  
engraved in the rock. She looked up to her mother. "What is it?"  
  
"It appeared shortly before you returned. Sailor Mars had a dream which led  
her down here to find it. But when we did our searches many, many years ago  
it wasn't here. We have spent quite a long time trying to figure out what it  
is. Shortly after your return Saturn realized that they are time runes."  
  
"Time runes? What are they?"  
  
"The language of those like Sailor Pluto. Only a guardian of time could  
accurately translate the true meaning of it and Pluto hasn't returned.  
Fortunately, Sailor Mercury and some other scholars were able to roughly  
translate what it says. Even with Mercury's computer there are many parts  
which we can't fully translate." Queen Serenity paused.  
  
Princess Usagi wasn't sure she wanted to know what the runes said. She knew  
this was a time to be serious and that whatever it said, must be incredibly  
important.  
  
Queen Serenity regained her composure. "Basically, it's a very complex  
prophecy. It gives many references to signs to look for, and then what will  
happen, and what will have to happen if the signs appear." What a mouthful  
of a riddle, Serenity thought. But that was what Mercury had said.  
  
Usagi realized that her mother was dancing around telling her what the wall  
said. She suddenly felt frightened, and nervous. "What does it say?"  
  
"Our lack of knowledge of this language has caused many difficulties. We  
aren't sure whether the phrases that were translated are correct or if the  
language can even be correctly translated to Japanese. Also, because of the  
jumble of wording, many of its meanings are a mystery to us."  
  
"It . . . it makes references to many things . . . all which have come  
true." Her voice wavered. " Some of them are: the shortening of the young  
one's training, the disappearance of the guardian, star formations and  
events which have occurred throughout the last year. But most importantly,  
'the crown looses the ability to heal, and is marked by the darkening of the  
crystal'."  
  
Queen Serenity held up what Usagi realized was the ginzuishou. Only it was a  
pale green colour. "I can no longer use the crystal; its power is a stranger  
to me. The script says that the crystal shall be passed on, as well as the  
power that was never needed."  
  
Princess Usagi was starting to get even more nervous because she realized  
that her mother was frightened. "So what does all of this mean?" she managed  
to get out.  
  
Queen Serenity looked back towards the wall. "What exactly the words say we  
are unsure of, but we are pretty sure most of the references are to you."  
  
Princess Usagi didn't know how to react. How could a wall deep underground  
make references to her in a strange language?  
  
"We are certain that the prophecy speaks of you. In several places you are  
referred to as the 'one light of hope'. It speaks of a superior being  
rewriting time itself, and that you have the power to stop it. It says that  
with the sword of light, or of time -we're not sure which it means- you  
'will journey in relative time' back 'to where whence returned from'. This  
means that you will travel to a year and a half after you left your training  
in the past since that is how long you've been here for. But it also says  
that you 'will meet your future in a period of seconds preceding the  
journey' -we have no idea what that part means. It says later on that 'the  
ray of light shall share the power of the guardian through the mysterious  
power of the diamond'. And at the end of this section it says that 'with the  
power of eternity, the ray of hope will confront the darkness'."  
  
Queen Serenity moved her finger to a spot below the part she had just been  
translating, which was below all of the rest. "But here is the part that  
scares me the most. We were able to pretty much completely translate this  
part. It reads something similar to: 'Following the departure of the chosen  
light of hope, the time from which it shone from, will become a time that  
could have been, should have been, but now to never exist again. With the  
loss of the events of their memories, the present shall no longer exist."  
  
"It's just one giant riddle, with multiple meanings, but I think this part  
means that after you leave here, we will all disappear."  
  
Princess Usagi didn't know how to react. What her mother had just said was a  
lot to absorb for a ten year old girl. She just stared at the wall she  
looked it over and found a part at the bottom which Serenity hadn't referred  
to. "What about this part here?"  
  
"Which part?"  
  
"These lines right here."  
  
"I don't see any-" Queen Serenity fell silent. As her daughter ran her  
fingers along a portion of the wall, some additional runes appeared. "But  
now I can see them."  
  
Princess Usagi looked over the wall as a whole. "Mother, I don't think this  
is a wall, I think this is a door."  
  
The Queen suddenly realized, that this made possible some of the references  
to how the sword of light would be found. "How do we open it?"  
  
"I think it has something to do with this indent." Princess pointed to an  
indent in the middle of the door which her mother clearly couldn't see. She  
ran her finger over it and that problem was corrected.  
  
Queen Serenity realized that it was just the right size to hold the  
ginzuishou. She tried to place it in the hole but nothing happened.  
  
"Here, let me try," Usagi offered. As soon as the crystal touched the  
princess's hands it returned to its original white colour. She placed it in  
the indent and it stayed there. It began to glow, and the two of them  
stepped backwards in amazement as the whole wall swung inward to reveal  
another chamber. The ginzuishou just hung in the air where it had been  
placed in the wall. Usagi tried to take it but it wouldn't move. She  
abandoned it and Queen Serenity followed her daughter to find something that  
she never expected to find under her palace. It was a circular room, and the  
walls met in a dome at the top of the room. The room was illuminated by a  
light blue light which came from the walls.  
  
In the middle of the room was a circle carved into the floor, about ten feet  
across. Inside it was an eight-pointed star which had a different planet's  
symbol at the end of each point. In the middle of the star was a circular  
dais that was slightly raised from the floor. Inside this was a crescent  
moon. But most spectacular was the pedestal that rose from the gap in the  
crescent moon. Blade down, placed into the pedestal was a crystal sword,  
which reflected the blue light into symbols of the planets on the walls,  
although the sword was not carved in any way. Serenity was the first to  
speak. "This must be the room which will link you to the past without the  
aid of Sailor Pluto." The two of them walked forward but Serenity found that  
after a few steps she ran into an invisible barrier while Usagi passed right  
through. "Wait," she called out.  
  
Usagi turned around to find that her mother could not follow her to the  
pedestal. She quickly hurried back to her waiting arms. Usagi found that her  
mother's face was wet with tears. "I'm never going to see you again my small  
lady." Princess Usagi finally realized that this was the last moment that  
she was going to spend with her mother and found tears running down her own  
face as well. She buried her face into her mother' chest. She didn't even  
know what she was doing yet and events and actions beyond her knowledge were  
spinning out of control. But she felt a responsibility, something inside  
that would allow her to know exactly what to do. After about a minute they  
separated. "Good bye, my daughter. Do not forget me." The many years of  
queenship had taught Serenity when it was time for herself, and when it was  
time for responsibilities and what must be done. She placed a small cube  
into Usagi's hand. "Here is a memory cube. It contains images of all of your  
friends here, as well as the time runes which you must show to Sailor Pluto  
if you find her. Good luck."  
  
Princess Usagi pushed a smile. If she spoke again she knew that she would  
burst into tears so she just turned around and walked towards the circle.  
"Good bye Mommy," she spoke, for the very last time, allowing the tears to  
run down her face anyway. Princess Usagi stepped into the circle.  
  
Immediately she felt that she was far away from her mother. She could feel  
the sword in the center calling to her. A call which became clearer as she  
approached the dais. It was like the beautiful song of a bird, wanting you  
to come closer so you can hear it better. When she stepped upon the dais,  
the entrance to the cavern swung shut, trapping both of them inside. The  
ginzuishou floated over to her and placed itself in the hilt of the sword.  
She could feel the energy radiating from it. As she placed her hands on the  
hilt of the sword, everything else around her faded away. There was suddenly  
a silence surrounding her which was more deafening than the silence before.  
It was now just her, and the sacred crystal.  
  
A voice spoke to her which seemed to come from all around the room, as well  
as from in her mind. Arise Haiku. Lifting her hands, there was a blinding  
flash of light as Princess Usagi lifted the surprisingly light sword from  
the pedestal; and as she turned, lifted the sword up in her hands, the dais  
rotated so that she was facing her hopeful mother. The sword was glowing,  
and she could feel the power building within herself. The voice spoke again.  
Become a warrior worthy of the sword.  
  
Queen Serenity looked up from her tears to find her daughter facing her.  
Then the impossible occurred. Her daughter began to age. She grew taller and  
wider, and more built to handle a sword. Queen Serenity estimated that her  
daughter had aged about 5 years in a minute. The final parts of the prophecy  
were dropping into place. Fight with the power of eternity.  
  
Princess Usagi felt her feet rising from the ground as her gown shredded to  
reveal her sailor fuku. Then even it began to change. The skirt and collar  
went completely white, and then a red line followed by a pink line appeared  
along the edges of both. On the wrists of her gloves pink bracelets  
appeared. When she aged her hair grew, so now it was arranged similar to  
Sailor Moon's. The ginzuishou didn't float to her chest but an eight-pointed  
star appeared where it would have been. Finally three ribbons, one from her  
choker and two from the top of her skirt appeared before she was set back on  
the ground. Perhaps the most amazing feature was the wings that grew from  
her back. Unlike Eternal Sailor Moon's these wings actually looked like they  
could lift a person.  
  
This new eternal sailor looked herself over. She had aged. She knew that it  
was because of the sword. The fact that she had been too young for her  
mission had been resolved. The sword had also given her a new uniform so  
that she could effectively channel its power. The knowledge of what to do  
next entered her mind. First she turned the sword so that it was pointing  
down, and then she knelt on one knee. She focused on the ginzuishou. It was  
the key. The sword was simply a tool. The power was in the crystal. She sent  
the power of the ginzuishou throughout the sword, the dais, and throughout  
the entire platform. The entire platform was engulfed in light. The last  
thing she heard before the ancient time machine transported her away was the  
voice inside her head. Be reborn; as Haiku, the senshi of time. The last  
chance for harmony in time.  
  
A single ray of hope sped towards the past.  
  
*****  
  
--One year after Chibi-usa travels to the past for her new purpose in life, as  
well as shortly after the gathering:--  
  
The 'beyonder' was having minor difficulties. These 'senshi' he believed he  
had dealt with upon his arrival were becoming more than a minor nuisance.  
The time for games was over. Round three meant it was time for serious  
business.  
  
Of course, it would be too simple just to wipe them out himself; a waste of  
precious time and valuable energy. Every bit of spare energy was going to be  
needed for his masters would be arriving soon, and he had to be ready to  
present his 'creation'.  
  
It was time to eliminate the senshi.  
  
Aries!  
Arcana!  
  
He chose semi-humanoid forms and twisted, cruel minds. Why not add a little  
chaos into his world? Since these senshi believed that they stood for  
'peace' and 'justice', it only seemed fitting that those who eliminated them  
were corrupt and lived for 'destruction' and 'death'. Of course, these were  
all traits of weaker, lesser beings and were meaningless to someone like  
him. Gods stood for everything, as well as nothing.  
  
His children needed no instructions. His will was their purpose of being.  
The one named Aries put a fist to his chest. "The lord of chaos shall rule!"  
He faded away. Good; loyal, arrogant. Arcana rose from the crouching  
position she had been summoned in. "Think of the deed as already completed,  
my lord," she said before turning around and walking into the darkness. Also  
good; he sensed a double cross forming as well as deadly efficiency and  
selfless daringness. It was perfect. One would most certainly focus on chaos  
while the other on the task at hand although each of them would contribute  
to both.  
  
With a few more touches to his world it was about to become a deadly game of  
cat and mouse. A game where the cat enjoyed allowing the mouse to think it  
had the advantage. Of course, it would all be cleaned up afterwards with  
time to spare before his masters' arrival.  
  
*****  
  
In another place on new Earth, shortly afterwards.  
  
There was a time when neither of them had taken their responsibilities  
seriously. Life, love, success, failure. They were meaningless because of  
destiny, even though each of them were humoured. They had a future which was  
unescapable, or at least it had been, until the rules were changed.  
  
With new rules and variable destinies a few of the senshi weren't surprised  
to find Usagi and Chibi-us -well, Haiku, because of the aging -already in  
the meeting room when they arrived, discussing the senshi's next move. The  
daydreaming, ditzy days were long gone; the two of them had matured from  
hardships and were ready to take up arms for peace.  
  
Fond memories of times long gone passed back and forth across the table  
until all of the girls, had arrived. Then it was down to business. The  
senshi had their leader back and she was taking the role seriously now as  
she should have from the beginning.  
  
"Those were good times," Usagi was saying, "But now it's time to get down to  
business and the situation at hand. Now that everyone is fully aware of the  
full situation we can move ahead in the matter. Ch -Haiku and I have been  
completely briefed in what the situation on our planet is and what we should  
do."  
  
"First, now that we are all together again I think you'd agree that it would  
be unwise for us to split up and go our separate ways, so instead we're  
going to split into two group. The inner senshi led by me, and the outer  
senshi led by Haiku." No one was surprised by this decision since Usagi and  
Haiku were equals when it came to the fact that they each held a ginzuishou.  
Although Michiru had to lay a hand on Haruka's hand before she said anything  
against it. Haruka would just have to step down from being leader for a  
little while. There were more important matters at hand. Besides that no one  
spoke, allowing Usagi to continue."  
  
"The inner senshi and I will go to the arctic region to investigate a  
possible weapon being built there, while the outer senshi shall travel to  
the volcanic region to discover the purpose of the mountain which has  
appeared next to the command point. In each region we will have to locate  
any inhabitants and report on how they stand in this ... war. Is there  
anything that I'm forgetting?"  
  
Ami spoke up first. "I think we should go to Dohilne Island and check on the  
condition of Haiku's ship. It could be very helpful if we need to regroup  
for any reason."  
  
"Agreed," Usagi replied. "Anything else?"  
  
"We should pass through Toria," Hotaru said quietly, staring down at the  
table. "And check on my father," she finished as she looked up.  
  
"I'm sure that that can be arranged. And if he needs out I'm sure that his  
help would be greatly appreciated here or in Dohilne. Anything else  
concerning this?" No one could think of anything at the moment so she  
continued. "Good then. After packing supplies we will proceed tomorrow  
morning."  
  
"Now that that's been taken care of, how about another breakfast? Haiku and  
I have been at this for at least a couple of hours and I'm starving again."  
Some things never changed.  
  
*****  
  
And so the adventure begins refreshed and anew. 


	20. Episode 18: Separation

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 18 'Separation'  
  
In the absence of speech, all one could hear was the swishing sound of the  
ship gliding through the calm waters under the star filled sky. Mamoru stood  
at the tiller with the steersman, gazing upon the multitudes of fiery lights  
in the night sky. "Are you sure it's safe to sail in the dark?" Mamoru asked  
his companion.  
  
"You can be rest assured matey, that we won't run into anything. In this new  
world the oceans are perfectly clear of obstructions, except of course for  
an island here and there."  
  
"It still doesn't seem safe enough to me, sailing into darkness."  
  
"It's no stranger than sailing with magic rather than wind."  
  
Although there was just a slight breeze the ship was making good time  
through the use of the threads of magic which only the senshi could utilize.  
While Mamoru and the steersman were at the rear of the boat watching the  
steering and stability of the ship, Sailor Mercury and Rei were in the bow,  
keeping the threads of magic aligned.  
  
Rei was hanging from a few of the mast ropes. "She's come a long way. She's  
her same, ditzy self, but still quite different."  
  
"She's accepted the responsibilities that come with our gifts. We've all  
grown up some in the past two years; but old habits and lifestyles die  
hard."  
  
A hollow silence surrounded the two of them. Rei looked down from the stars  
to look at Sailor Mercury. The silence was unnerving. "Why are you  
transformed Ami? Couldn't you just as easily control the ship without  
exerting as much energy?"  
  
Mercury paused for a moment. "I don't like sailing in the dark. I feel ...  
safer this way."  
  
"Scared of the dark are we?"  
  
"Don't go there Rei." Rei immediately fell silent. There was pain and anger  
in Mercury's voice. It would be better to not speak of the matter again, for  
she too had some foolish-sounding fears which had festered during the  
darkness. (The darkness was the first two months after rebirth when the  
beyonder and Creators were experimenting with the planet, its resources, and  
its residents. It was a very dark and dangerous period of time.) Rei  
returned her attention to the night sky. At least it never changed. But  
wait; a small, dim, red object in the night sky caught her vision. "Ami,  
what's that red dot," she said, pointing.  
  
"Huh?" Mercury looked up just as the sky exploded in red light. Rei cried  
out in pain, clutching her head.  
  
"My eyes! My eyes! I can't see a thing!"  
  
Sailor Mercury on the other hand was only blinded for a moment since  
fortunately, she had been using her visor. A sudden jerk in her footing  
signaled that the ship had run into something. Sailor Mercury instinctively  
released the threads of magic as more flashes of light ignited the night  
sky. She caught a glimpse of hooks being thrown over the side of the ship.  
Acting on priorities Mercury returned her attention to her friend. "Rei, are  
you all right?"  
  
"I feel fine but my vision is playing tricks on me. I'm not sure what I'm  
seeing-"  
  
"Listen Rei; our ship is being boarded. I want you to climb up the ropes  
until you're above the sails and then start shooting fire across the sky  
until your vision returns. Got it?  
  
"I think so. Mars Eternal, Unite!"  
  
Mercury returned her attention to the sides of the boat to find figures with  
short swords climbing over the railings. "Death to the evils of the realm!"  
she heard one of the cry.  
  
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she cried, washing some of the intruders over the  
side of the boat. She began to blast the others when a thunderbolt blasted  
them back into the water without damaging the ship. Sailor Jupiter landed on  
the roof of the cabin, behind Sailor Mercury.  
  
"All I wanted was a quiet evening up with the stars. Is that too much to  
ask?! Oak Evolution!" More of the intruders were blown off the ship as  
Sailor Jupiter flung green balls at them. Sailor Mercury jumped up to beside  
Jupiter.  
  
"Who are they Jupiter?"  
  
"Pirates. I've encountered them before." The two of them sent another  
onslaught of the elements at their enemies.  
  
"Where's Venus?" Mercury asked  
  
"Hopefully getting to the source of the attack."  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Venus was wondering why she hadn't let Jupiter go after the pirate  
ship rather than herself. The water was freezing cold. The pirate ship was a  
good distance away -which was probably why they hadn't seen it coming.  
  
There were few pirates to dodge as Sailor Venus made her way around on the  
ship. There was just enough crew to handle the ship. The rest had left,  
believing that their ship was safe. Venus slipped down to the lower decks,  
where the oar slaves were chained. Most of them were trying to get some rest  
before the ship had to be moved again. From her vantage point above them,  
she could see only one crewmember walking along a raised walkway above the  
oars.  
  
In a flash Sailor Venus leapt and punched her opponent in the gut. She then  
tipped him over enough so that he fell down onto an oar. The oar slaves were  
happy to beat him senseless. Sensing movement from behind, Venus spun around  
and jumped back in time to avoid being grabbed by another pirate. "Crescent  
Beam!" The sailor was knocked senseless, as well as getting some pretty bad  
burns. Sailor Venus hurried to one end of the gallery and jumped down to  
where the oar slaves were sitting. She changed back to Minako and called  
down to the people for them all to hold their chains straight up. As she  
swung around and strung her bow, everyone responded. With inhuman accuracy  
she sent off four arrows, through the lines of chains. Without delay she  
hopped over to the other side of the ship and repeated the same process  
there. No one had to worry about removing the actual chains since they all  
disappeared as soon as they were hit by the arrows.  
  
Most of the prisoners, in a dash of desperation from being locked up for so  
long, ran for the ladders to escape. They were scared of the pirates and  
scared of this strange woman who had made their chains completely disappear.  
Minako was surprised that the people weren't crowding around her. Quite the  
opposite actually. Minako was about to get out of there when she noticed a  
woman and child moving towards her. Actually, the mother wanted to get out  
of there but the little girl was insisting that they couldn't leave yet.  
"Venus, Sailor Venus," she was calling. Minako walked over to them. "Sailor  
Venus, we found you!" The child looked up to her mother "Mommy, this is the  
woman from my dreams!"  
  
"Yes dear, I'm sure it is." She looked at Minako. "I'm sorry miss; you know  
children. Now come along dear, let's get out of here," she said, tugging on  
the little girl's hand. The little girl slipped her hand out of her mother's  
and grabbed Minako's. "No. I have to help the senshi; my dream told me so."  
  
"Maybe you should lis-" Minako was abruptly cut off.  
  
"No! We're leaving now!" the woman nearly screamed.  
  
Minako was about to step forward when the little girl did it first. She  
waved her hand away at the woman. "Oh Mommy, don't be foolish; I have to  
help Sailor Venus. You can go now if that's what you really want."  
  
A complete calmness washed over the woman's face. "Why thank you honey," she  
said and then walked off without another word or gesture.  
  
"What -how could you treat your own mother like that? What did you you do to  
her," Minako said in a shocked voice.  
  
"Oh Mina, it wasn't my actual mother; just some flake I was helping out  
until I ran into you. Don't worry about it."  
  
Minako took a closer look at the girl. "Carrie, is that you?"  
  
"No, of course not silly. It's just the person I decided to imitate from  
your memory."  
  
"Well all right. But we had better get out of here quickly."  
  
"I think there's a couple of boats left up on the water."  
  
"But how do you kno-"  
  
"Don't ask Mina, just go!"  
  
Minako and 'Carrie' had an uneventful climb back up to the deck of the ship.  
The prisoners had either been flushed out or had scared away the remaining  
crew. But Minako made sure to start a little fire in the lower decks of the  
ship so that the ship would burn down eventually, but not immediately alert  
the pirates aboard the senshi's ship. When they reached the deck Minako  
started to move off towards where the lifeboats were stored but Carrie  
tugged her the other way. "There aren't any lifeboats left over there Mina;  
we have to go this way."  
  
She didn't feel any will to resist this girl so Minako followed along. When  
they reached the edge of the ship Minako looked over the edge and saw that a  
small boat was now sitting there in the water. "But how did you kno-"  
  
"Come on Mina, where would be the fun in that?" With that she jumped over  
the edge of the ship and landed safely on the boat eight feet below. "Let's  
go!" Minako shook her head and side flipped over the railing and landed in  
the boat beside Carrie.  
  
"Show off," Carrie pouted, although Minako had a feeling that the little  
girl had been expecting nothing less.  
  
As Mina and Carrie approached the senshi's ship they saw that all of the  
pirates were on board now since there was no one guarding the small crafts  
they had tied together and to the ship. Without a second thought Minako cut  
away all of the boats and allowed them to float away. No one was going to  
survive an attack on her liege's ship. Only after all of the small boats had  
floated away did she herself climb the side of the ship to find out what was  
going on. The situation was not a pleasing one. In front of the cabin door  
Usagi was being held with a knife at her throat. There were tears all over  
her cheeks as well as blood on her neck. The other senshi and sailors were  
on their knees, but the sight of Usagi so helpless and given-up set Minako's  
blood on fire.  
  
She was seriously considering doing something rash when she noticed Carrie  
on the ropes beside her, tugging on her clothes and pointing downwards. The  
two of them swung down below the edge of the ship, out of sight.  
  
"You don't have to kill them all, just the one who has the knife to your  
friend's throat." Minako realized that that was what she should have thought  
of in the first place but said nothing to that effect. It was probably best  
that she wasn't Sailor Venus at the moment for she didn't want to damage the  
ship.  
  
The real challenge was how she was going to hit the man behind Usagi when  
Usagi was in between her and her target. These were the only ropes still  
hanging from the ship so she had to shoot from here without boarding the  
ship. She would have to get Usagi's attention first.  
  
"Don't worry Mina, I'll get you her attention." Before Minako could stop  
her, Carrie was climbing up onto the deck. Being too late to stop her,  
Minako just held up two fingers below Carrie, and watched Usagi very  
closely, trying very hard not to be seen.  
  
"Over here everyone! Look at me!" Carrie called out. "Usagi, you too! Over  
here!" Carrie had everyone's attention, but Minako's attention was  
completely on Usagi.  
  
Although Usagi was ditzy at times, she wasn't in important situations.  
Minako knew that Usagi had seen her when Usagi flashed a V back to her.  
Sailor Mars saw the V and took this as a chance to raise her finger and  
point it towards the man holding Usagi for all she had to do was say one  
word and fire would spring from her fingers. Unfortunately the pirate saw  
what Sailor Mars was doing and turned so that Usagi was directly in between  
him and Sailor Mars.  
  
Fortunately, in order to do this he had to turn slightly to the side, which  
enabled Minako to get a clear view of his shoulder holding the knife. She  
took careful aim with her bow and fired.  
  
At the same moment Usagi saw the top of Minako's bow and reached up her  
hands to grab the wrist of the pirate who was holding her. Before he had a  
chance to react the arrow hit him in the shoulder. Usagi was then able to  
push the knife away from her throat so that she could lean forward and kick  
the guy holding her. This gave her just enough time to slip away. The pirate  
barely had enough time to pull the arrow out of his shoulder before Prince  
Endymion ran him through. Chaos erupted on the deck of the ship. With a  
hostage, the pirates had held the upper hand. But now with four angry sailor  
soldiers free they didn't stand a chance. The decks of the ship cleared  
quickly, and when the pirates realized that their ship was on fire they swam  
towards as quickly as possible in hopes that they'd be able to save at least  
something.  
  
Order returned to the deck of the ship.  
  
***  
  
A little while later found Usagi back in her room. Tuxedo Kamen was standing  
guard outside the door while the other soldiers continued repairs on deck.  
  
Usagi rolled over to find a familiar figure lying in bed with her. Only  
being partially awake she flipped the other girl onto the floor. "Usagi,  
that wasn't very nice of you, you know." Usagi shook some more of the  
sleepiness away and focused on the newcomer.  
  
"Chibi-usa? No that's impossible. You must be that girl that distracted the  
pirates."  
  
"You're in rare form today Usagi. I just took the memory of Chibi-usa from  
your mind."  
  
"What are you?"  
  
The young Chibi-usa jumped into Usagi's arms. "When you returned to the  
present time, no, before that -when you left the present to the future a new hope was born.  
That was us! Then when you returned to the present that hope was given  
embodiment. I'm a little bit of all happy things, but mostly of innocence  
and hope."  
  
Usagi seemed a bit puzzled, but cleared it up by placing the information  
aside in her mind for future reference. "But what do you want?"  
  
Chibi-usa brought her head up so it was a little closer to being level with  
Usagi's. "This isn't about what I want, but about what YOU need. I just want  
to play around and have fun. I'm here to tell you that you have to come to  
the caverns of Shmite. You're a special person, because right now you're  
only partially in this time. You're special because you're one of the few  
people who has the potential to affect time."  
  
Usagi didn't have a clue as to what the girl was talking about. "I don't  
understand. Maybe you have the wrong person."  
  
"No, and don't worry, you don't need to understand it yet. All you have to  
do is come to the caverns of Shmite. Then you can make a difference." With  
that the little girl disappeared into a puff of smoke, just like Chibi-usa  
used to.  
  
Usagi was about to try to return to sleep when a loud explosion erupted from  
outside. She jumped out of bed and rushed to the door. Tuxedo Kamen was  
already gone. Reaching the end of the hall Usagi once again rushed right  
outside as she had before, the concern for her friends overriding her common  
sense.  
  
Outside two dark figures floated above the ship. It was impossible to see  
what they were, for they were shadowed in black. Usagi held up her locket  
which was now attached to a chain around her neck so she wouldn't loose it.  
"Moon Crisis, make up!" Just as her locket opened up and the transformation  
began something happened. A black arrow which disappeared on impact slammed  
into Usagi's locket. The force sent her flying over the side of the ship.  
Sailor Jupiter and Mars jumped in after her.  
  
Mamoru, now as Prince Endymion on the other side of the ship jumped up to  
attack one of the figures. But just as he got close he found himself frozen  
in place. In a flash the figure that he had been trying to attack appeared  
behind him and stabbed him a whole bunch of times in the back before  
blasting him down into the water. Sailor Venus saw it happen and was about  
to attack when Sailor Mercury grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the  
side of the ship. "Mercury, what are you doing!"  
  
"We can't win this," Sailor Mercury answered. "No matter what we do either  
they'll sink the ship with their attacks or we'll sink it with ours. We  
can't win this battle and it would be best if we weren't separated. We have  
to follow Mamoru. He was hurt pretty badly. Now jump!"  
  
Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus just cleared the ship as a column of fire  
burst through the middle of it. They had to swim away as fast as they could  
to avoid being sucked under as the ship sank.  
  
Sailor Venus found Tuxedo Kamen but Sailor Mercury was no where to be found.  
  
Sailor Mars and Jupiter held an unconscious Usagi up out of the water as  
they struggled to find something to tie her to.  
  
The senshi hurried away, followed by the dark inhuman laughter of a man and  
woman. 


	21. Episode 19: Unfortunate Arrival

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 19 'Unfortunate Arrival'  
  
It wasn't the cold that returned Sailor Venus to consciousness, but the fact  
that she had been in between unconsciousness and sleep for long enough that  
her energy had returned enough for her body to begin working again. If it  
wasn't for the fact that she was in senshi guise she would have awoken long  
ago due to the absence of the little bit of energy it took from herself to  
maintain it. But if she had been merely Minako, the cold probably would have  
frozen her to death hours ago. Aside from all those excess possibilities,  
the first thing she noticed before opening her eyes was the fact that it was  
freezing cold. Although her fuku protected her from freezing, she still felt  
the icy cold hand of death on her shoulder.  
  
Wait a minute, she really did feel an icy cold hand on her shoulder!  
  
Half-awake and relying primarily on first instincts she cried out, pushed  
the hand off her shoulder and shoved herself aside. Unfortunately, she moved  
out a little too far and discovered an empty space which had suddenly  
appeared below her. Quite promptly she suddenly found that there was now a  
couple feet of water between her head and breathable air.  
  
Now it only took a fraction of a second for Sailor Venus to realize that the  
temperature of the water was hovering around the freezing point, so you can  
pretty much imagine what her reaction was. Sputtering and now completely  
awake, she quickly assessed her surroundings.  
  
She was on a shore of snow, but warm ocean currents had kept ice from  
forming. The sky was a gray overcast, it was in the evening, and Tuxedo Kamen  
was unconscious and floating in the water beside her. She grabbed his  
shoulder and tried to shake him awake. "Mamoru, are you all right? Wake up!  
Mamoru!"  
  
She drew her hand away to find it covered with a thin layer of blood. "Oh my  
God, are you....." Venus shuddered and quickly banished the thought. Sliding  
the piece of driftwood they had tied themselves to aside, she carefully  
lifted herself out of the water and then easily lifted Mamoru out with her  
senshi strength and laid him down upon the snow. She quickly put her first  
two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse and placed her ear over his  
mouth. It seemed to take an eternity but she finally felt a brush of air on  
her cheek and a small thump on his neck. She realized she had been holding  
her breath and let it out it one great woosh. Thank the heavens he was  
alive, but his heartbeat and breathing were really slow; but strong.  
Relieved to find him living she slowly began to lift open his clothing to  
find how badly he was hurt. Giving herself a clear view of his shoulder and  
backside she was startled by something she hadn't expected to see. What  
shocked her wasn't the enormity of the wound, but what his body was doing to  
repair it.  
  
Golden threads of light were flowing in and out of the gash that went from  
shoulder to hip. Apparently his body had stopped or slowed down all of his  
bodily functions except for the essentials so that his energy could be  
poured into the healing of his wound. Sailor Venus wasn't sure exactly what  
was going on but accepted it with all of the other strange happenings she  
had learned to cope with. All of the senshis' powers were rapidly evolving  
and changing. She just hoped that she'd still be able to control them.  
  
With the complete assurance that his transformation would protect him but  
uneasy about leaving him alone she considered her options. She could either  
leave him here, go find help and hope that she'd be able to find him or him  
find her again; or she could take him along with her and increase her  
vulnerability to being attacked, as well as his condition being worsened.  
Not favouring the former course of action she fell back on to the latter.  
  
And anyway, Usagi would never forgive her if she left him behind. Well,  
maybe she would, but she would be heartbroken if something happened to  
Mamoru.  
  
That problem was easily solved, now to the next one. She would draw a lot of  
attention to herself if she started walking around in a miniskirt in a  
snowdrift. But if she changed back to Mina she wouldn't be able to transform  
again without Jupiter's help, she wouldn't be able to carry Mamoru, and  
she'd be a hell of a lot colder. Three to one the fuku stays, and she needed  
a disguise. Fortunately, that was easily obtainable. Gathering around  
herself the strands of magic which mainly only the senshi could utilize she  
was able to fashion herself a dark-coloured robe. Forming a blanket around  
Mamoru she easily lifted him into her arms and put the hood up on her robe.  
Pointing herself towards the Command Point she began her journey across the  
plains of endless snow.  
  
**********  
  
After a couple of hours, if it hadn't been for the Command Point, Sailor  
Venus probably wouldn't have known where she was. Although she could have  
taken a bearing off of her footsteps, her walking was staggered and fairly  
inconsistent. Plainly put and obviously clear, she was exhausted. She should  
have stopped and taken a break before running inland but it was too late  
now. The sun was going down and the wind speed was increasing. They would  
have to stop for the night. Running a little farther she came to a step hill  
and set Mamoru aside. She used her Crescent Crush to make a hole in the snow  
and moved Mamoru into it. Actually, it was a lot bigger than she would have  
liked; it was more like a crater. Now using the strands of magic she formed  
a crude-shaped dome which somehow managed to keep most of the snow and wind  
out. Completely exhausted she laid down and immediately fell asleep.  
  
*****  
  
Not the following morning but the morning after that there was finally a  
change in Mamoru's condition. Sailor Venus had slept right through a whole  
day, but it was worth it. She at least felt a little better. It was around  
noon when Mamoru made a few signs of waking up. "Huh? Where am I?" he  
moaned. "Why can't I see anything? Is anyone there?"  
  
Sailor Venus was immediately by his side. "You're safe Mamoru. We're in the  
arctic region. I'm trying to find us some help. You've been badly wounded  
but it's going to be all right."  
  
There was some sign that Mamoru had heard her, but he continued as if he  
almost hadn't. "I have to find her, have to protect her. -can't let it  
happen again. Is Usagi okay? I... I can't move my legs. Someone help! I  
can't feel or move my legs. I-" Sailor Venus was barely able to get some  
water into his mouth before he fell unconscious again. It was apparently as  
she had feared. Not only had Mamoru's back been sliced up but he had been  
paralyzed from the waist down. Hopefully Sailor Moon or Saturn would be able  
to repair it.  
  
Under a clear morning sky she continued her journey towards the Command  
Point.  
  
For some reason the polar(polar meaning north and south, not arctic)  
regions were smaller than the others so it was  
just about midday when Sailor Venus found herself on the last stretch of  
snow, approaching the Command Point. As she reached the top of the rise she  
was currently climbing she stopped to take a look ahead. She had estimated  
that there would be one more valley and then a hill, and although the  
terrain was as she had guessed, what she saw was not what she had expected.  
All sorts of people were running over the next hill into the valley  
in between them and Venus. She decided to hurry down there to find out what  
was going on; maybe she could do something to help them, and them her.  
  
It wasn't until she started up the other side that people started to pass  
her. But none of them would stop to talk to her. In order to get someone to  
stop for her she was forced to throw back her hood and to jump right in  
front of someone. "What's going on?! What are you running away from?" she  
barked but the man didn't listen to her.  
  
"Run for your life?" he cried. "It's all going to explode. They're getting  
their revenge!"  
  
"What's go-" she tried to ask but the man had gotten around her and was  
running on down the hill. Deciding that trying to get the people to talk to  
her was a waste of time she muttered a few choice words under her breath and  
continued up the hill side to see the problem for herself. By now there were  
a lot more people charging down the hill and Venus wondered if she should be  
following their example and be running for her life. Unfortunately her  
curiosity got the better of her as always and as she tipped the hillside she  
was able to see what was getting all of these people so worked up.  
Everything was down in the valley below her. Directly below her was one city  
that was primitively built. Behind that and to the right was the Command  
City, identified by the 10 foot wall surrounding it and the black metal it  
was made out of, and then behind and towering over them both was the  
mountainous Command Point. The people were all piling out of the city made  
mostly of snow-covered mounds in front of her. The reason was obvious. There  
was a beam of red light shining down on the whole city from a tower in the  
Command City.  
  
It was then that Sailor Venus realized that all of the people weren't going  
to get away in time. Too many of them were going to die. She had just  
started down towards the city when a beam of light shot from the tower to  
land in the center of the other city. Before Venus had a chance to react  
there was a flash of light and she was finding herself being thrown back to  
the ground. With the force of Tuxedo Kamen landing on top of her she had the  
wind knocked out of her followed by dizziness and a wave of nausea. For a  
moment she could feel pain in very part of her body but it quickly subsided.  
Before she could move anywhere there were two men in white robes at her  
side.  
  
"Come on sir,"  
  
"you have to get up."  
  
Sailor Venus put her hand over Mamoru's face and was relieved to find him  
still breathing. Meanwhile the two men had gotten her into a sitting  
position but were arguing with each other.  
  
"I'm telling you, he was outside of the barrier."  
  
"And I'm telling you, that that's completely impossible! You saw what  
happened to those who weren't under the shield."  
  
"Well I guess so but..."  
  
Venus shut their voices out to take a quick look at the area. Most of the  
city had been completely destroyed, just a giant hole remained where it had  
been. All except for one circular area near the gates where people were now  
running away from. Anywhere else where she had seen anyone they were now no  
longer there. Realizing that she was still in danger she was about to hop to  
her feet but reminding herself that there were people around now she put on  
a show of struggling to her feet as she lifted herself with Mamoru still in  
her arms to her feet. Even with her superior strength Mamoru was starting to  
put a strain on her muscles.  
  
"Are you all right sir?" The men were still there. Venus nodded. Her hood  
had gone back over her head and she realized that these men hadn't yet seen  
that she was a woman. "Good. You better hurry up and get out of here." She  
nodded again and they ran off to keep the crowd of people moving away from  
the Command City. Sailor Venus had sensed from them though that they weren't  
just ordinary people. She didn't really want to get involved in the politics  
here but it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. If she approached the  
Command City they would assume that she was one of the people they were  
trying to destroy in the city. Deciding that anonymity was probably the  
safest way to go for the moment Venus ran off to join the crowd.  
  
Although there were people swarming all around her she made sure to keep  
close to the edge of the crowd, and always tried to keep her eye on at least  
one of the people in white robes. Obviously they were the ones who were  
really in control of the situation -or at least trying to be.  
  
It wasn't until they had gotten over the hill and started on the next one  
that the cause of their intended haste was made apparent. Directly in front  
of them a few men in white suits burst out of the snow holding rifles.  
Without hesitation they shot a few bursts of energy into the crowd. Sailor  
Venus took a quick look around and saw that similar men were popping out of  
the snow all around them. Without a pause four of the robed men ran for the  
center of the crowd. Standing back to back to back to back they held their  
arms out in front of them and there was only a slight glistening as Sailor  
Venus saw the protective dome surround all of the people. Of course, she  
could also see the strands of magic being used to hold the shield together.  
Any shots that the men in suits shot at the dome were dissipated. But Sailor  
Venus could see the strands of magic unraveling where the men were  
concentrating their shots. These men in robes were evidently not very  
efficient. Balancing Tuxedo Kamen on one arm Venus used the other hand and  
her mind to reinforce the dome. She of course could probably maintain it all  
herself but she would leave them to do it. The four robed men in the middle  
were too distracted to see who had fixed their shield in a way they had  
never seen before and the other two in the crowd didn't have time to find  
out. Instead they started shooting fireballs at the ones outside the dome.  
With it only taking one fireball per person they were fairly quickly able to  
take care of most of the threat. Venus knew from experience of course that  
if one of them knew what they were doing they could just get all of the  
people to duck and send out one attack to wipe them all out but she kept her  
silence. Since there were plenty of people who wanted her dead she was  
better off remaining hidden for as long as possible. Everything was looking  
safe as the robed men picked off the last of the attackers.  
  
When there weren't any enemies remaining everything seemed to just stop. The  
men who had been shooting fireballs just stood there and the four holding up  
the shield just stood there, exhausted, but not taking down the dome. That's  
when Venus realized that they hadn't taken down the dome because they didn't  
know how. They didn't know how to take it apart without having the backlash  
rip them apart. Sailor Venus was just about to help them undo it when  
something caught the edge of her eye. She turned to see more men in white  
uniforms come hurtling over the hill from the hill in the direction of the  
cities. Only this time there were a lot more of them. Where they had only  
been ambushed by maybe between 15-20, this was a squad of nearly a hundred.  
The people around her all stayed ducked down as she now was, analyzing the  
situation. The four people in the middle were down on their knees now and  
the other two were sagging. Maybe even considering surrendering if it meant  
they could keep their lives. The only sound was of the wind and the  
crunching of the soldiers' boots on the snow. Sailor Venus heard the order  
clearly.  
  
"Exterminate all of them."  
  
That was when Sailor Venus was left with only one decision. Fight or die.  
Not a really difficult decision, but one she truly wished she didn't have to  
make. But she stood up anyway and threw back her hood. Then she walked  
towards the two robed men, who were inbetween her and the soldiers. Even  
though she was concentrating very hard, she was careful not to step on any  
of the people cowering below her. When she reached the two men the sign of  
Venus was glowing brightly on her forehead and the men could not think of  
anything to say as she shoved Mamoru into their arms. Without a gesture she  
released the strands of magic which were forming her cloak and allowed it to  
burst into dust as she stepped out in front of the people. With her giant  
back bow she must have seemed like an angel to the people on the ground. An  
angel of death, she thought bitterly. These weren't monsters she fighting  
this time, but actual people. Skipping the usual introductions she went  
right into action. The soldiers were already concentrating their shots on  
the barrier. "VENUS CRESCENT CROSS.......crush...." She had turned away  
before whispering the last word as a giant blast of energy exploded behind  
her. Unfortunately she had little time to be mournful as the entire dome  
around them began to collapse.  
  
Sailor Venus leapt towards the four people who were loosing control of their  
defensive dome. If they had been working with the one of their own design  
they could have easily handled it, but with the one surrounding them they  
couldn't even get the strands unraveled. They were completely unaware of the  
second group of soldiers who had come from the city and were all greatly  
shocked to find themselves right in the middle of this swirling mass of  
energy. But suddenly one moment it was tumbling apart and then the next  
moment control of the magic strands had been taken right away from them so that they  
couldn't feel any of the backlash. They swung around to find a person in the  
oddest clothing had jumped right in between all of them where they usually  
directed all of the supports for the dome. They didn't understand what she  
was doing, but did realize that if those strands of magic didn't return to  
where they had come from they would all be destroyed in a powerful explosion  
in a few seconds.  
  
It had seemed like a good idea at the time, when she had grabbed all of the  
strands of magic, but now her strategy was backfiring. Before Sailor Venus  
could do anything to stop it the loose strands started to shoot themselves  
through her. And it hurt. She tried to stop them but they wouldn't yield. It  
was just stab after stab after stab after stab. It wouldn't stop. By now she  
was down on her knees and the pain was non-stop. Then something happened  
that she hadn't expected. The star holding her front bow dissolved and the  
rest of her fuku melted into ribbons. The uncontrolled strands of magic must  
have interrupted the ones that were maintaining her transformation, and now  
there were just orange ribbons floating around her body. Then the pain came  
again, only ten times worse since her transformation was no longer providing  
protection to buffer the energy. It was like a dam had just fell part.  
Minako did the only thing she could do. She screamed.  
  
The people could see no reason as to why this girl was screaming her head  
off. But if anyone tried to get close to her they were thrown back with  
either their brains toasted or completely dead. The robed ones could see the  
strands of magic swirling around and passing through her. As far as they  
could tell she should have been dead by now but the ear-piercing screams  
argued otherwise. Seeing nothing they could do to help they continued to  
herd the people away to safety.  
  
Life was pain. That's all there was. She saw nothing, heard nothing, and  
felt nothing -except for the pain of course. She didn't even hear herself  
screaming. But in one part of her mind there was something else.  
  
It was the essence of her soul, her thinking consciousness, that was  
desperately trying to find a way to make the pain go away, trying to resist  
the energies flowing through her body.  
  
Ami went through this before. What did she do? Minako wished Ami had been  
willing to talk about it. But then again, Ami's mind was quite different  
from her own and Minako probably wouldn't have been able to copy it. She was  
fighting the magic as hard as she could but nothing was happening. So logic  
told her to do the opposite.  
  
She just gave up.  
  
She allowed full reign to the magics passing through her body. And  
miraculously, the pain gradually subsided to be replaced with a burning  
excitement. She was now fully aware of herself and everything around her.  
She could see for miles; she could feel each individual snowflake, hear each  
cry of the people within at least a one mile radius. But she ignored them  
all and focused on the feeling of righteousness that the rush of energy was  
creating in her body. It had gone from the worst feeling in the world to the  
absolute greatest.  
  
As the last of the magic passed through her the sign on her forehead took on  
a glow that lit up the snow around her. As she knelt there on the ground a  
copy of the sign of Venus floated out in front of her, and she watched in  
delight as it formed her eternal transformation wand. She reached out and  
grabbed it. Suddenly a column of orange light surrounded her, rising from  
the ground to the heavens. Slowly she floated upwards until her feet were  
just above the ground. Minako held the stick over her head and called out,  
"Venus Eternal, Unite!"  
  
More golden ribbons burst from the stick and swirled around the ones that  
were already floating around it. Then they all tightened around her and from  
her feet up to her head her sailor fuku formed. The orange column of light  
burst to travel throughout the sky as her feet were lowered to the ground.  
She was now complete once again.  
  
She looked around to find that everyone had left. Everyone that is, except  
for the enemies. She was now surrounded. A giant minotaur stood in front of  
her. "Venus Crescent Cro-" Before she could finish her attack everything  
went black.  
  
*****  
  
Because of the friendly climate of Toria and Kaipo, they were the two  
regions with the highest population. Kaipo with it's farms and fields and  
Toria with its forests, factories and marketplace. There was a great influx  
of trade between the two continents as a result. Unfortunately, this also  
meant that all of the boundary shores were closely watched for smugglers. It  
was Ami's misfortune which brought her to the shores of Kaipo and awake to  
find a dog slobbering all over her face.  
  
When the Command Point had come into view from out on the water she had  
reverted from Sailor Mercury. It was tiring her out just to maintain the  
transformation. She had hoped that she would be awake when she reached land  
but sleep won in the end.  
  
Wondering where this friendly dog had come from she slowly began to lift  
herself from the ground, but froze in mid-action. It wasn't really a dog.  
She saw the black and red collar around its neck and the glowing red eyes  
staring deep into her blue ones. The animal stiffened. It sensed her unease.  
Its teeth bared and it began to growl. This wasn't a dog. It was one of the  
servants of the Creator, and in a perfect position to rip out her throat in  
a heartbeat.  
  
Moving her fingers as slightly as possible she tried to get a strand of  
magic in between her and the 'dog'. It must have sensed what she was doing  
because it lunged for her throat. Fortunately she had the magic ready in  
time and a burst of energy sent the animal tumbling backwards. It quickly  
regained its posture and lunged at Ami once again. This time it was rewarded  
with a frozen muzzle. Ami was always able to weave ice magic much faster  
than anything else. With that she ran away from the open beach and took off  
along the walkways which ran around the continent where the sandy shore  
shifted to grass. Several explosions around her only indicated to her that  
she had gained the attention of others.  
  
'Just my luck,' she thought. 'They are armed with weapons which are fueled  
off of the strands of magic!'  
  
Ami ran as fast as she could. If she were Mercury she could have easily  
escaped or fought, but if she stopped to take the time to transform they  
would surely catch her. Every few metres she would throw back an energy  
shield across the path. From the yelps of pain it was slightly helping.  
  
She was paying so much attention to the enemies behind her that she didn't  
even notice the one in front of her until he had his gun leveled at her and  
was starting to pull the trigger. She just avoided being fried as she dodged  
onto a side path. Without stopping she settled her balance and continued  
down the path. Right around the corner.... and right into a wall.  
  
Forcing herself to think she looked around for an escape route but  
discovered she was at a dead end. Spinning around she began to gather  
strands of magic with her right hand and reached for her transformation wand  
with her left. Hopefully she could erect a barrier which would protect her  
while she transformed. Holding up her left hand she cried, "Eternal Mercury  
Power, make u-ahhhhhh!"  
  
Ami felt her hand explode in pain. She fell to her knees and could barely  
comprehend that there was a stub where her left hand and forearm used to be.  
The transformation stick disappeared before it even hit the ground. With her  
concentration gone the strands of magic she had been preparing to wield fell  
apart and Ami cried out again as the energies shocked her. Ami fell to the  
ground.  
  
She weakly lifted her head to find the bounty hunter with a gun to her head.  
All she saw was his cruel smile before everything went black. 


	22. Episode 20: Memories

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 20: 'Memories'  
  
Two women sat in the cabin of a ship. One, maybe about 17, the other,  
ageless. The younger one, but not as young as most believed spoke first. "We  
should tell her the truth."  
  
Her companion was silent.  
  
"The loss is still hurting her; I can see it in her eyes. She shouldn't have  
to suffer when it's not necessary.  
  
The other woman gave in. "I suppose so. She has had a great task laid before  
her and needs something more in her future to fight for."  
  
**********  
  
Haiku stood at the side of the guardrail on the ship, looking over the side  
into the darkness of the night. Fortunately when it came to ships, Haiku  
certainly didn't take after her mother. She had loved being out on the ocean  
on a swaying ship ever since her first adventure on one. An adventure that  
had taken place shortly after she had mastered walking on land and was one  
of her and Hotaru's most closely guarded secrets.  
  
Haiku had found that the basis of her adventure as a child on the seas had  
originated from this time period. As far as she could figure, later in the  
future supposedly she and Hotaru would have become good friends again.  
[after sailorstars] During that time Hotaru found out that Chibi-usa really  
liked being out on the water. So when Chibi-usa was old enough in the  
future, Hotaru decided to take the young Chibi-usa on an ocean cruise  
without the queen knowing. To make a long and embarrassing story short,  
about halfway through the cruise Chibi-usa got a little too close to the  
edge of the ship and when they hit a bump, was thrown over the side. Without  
checking to see if anyone else was around or to call for help Hotaru dived  
over the edge after the small child. Fortunately Serenity and small lady had  
gone swimming before so Chibi-usa was able to keep her head slightly above  
the water until Hotaru could get to her, although she still took a good  
mouthful of the seawater. Unfortunately no one had seen Hotaru or Chibi-usa  
go over the side so the ship just kept on sailing, and no one heard Hotaru's  
cries for help. As the ship got farther and farther away Hotaru decided to  
swim for the nearest island. It was only a coastal cruise and she was easily  
able to get herself and Chibi-usa to land. There she transformed into Sailor  
Saturn and ended up swimming with Chibi-usa on her back all the way back to  
the mainland. By the time she got Chibi-usa back to the palace everyone was  
in a frenzy looking for the princess. Hotaru just made up some excuse about  
taking Chibi-usa for a walk and having it take a little longer than she had  
originally expected. She apologized for not telling anyone but Uranus and  
Neptune had their suspicions when Hotaru went straight to bed in the middle  
of the afternoon, although they said nothing. After all, if Sailor Saturn  
couldn't protect the princess, who could?  
  
Haiku sighed. No, now it was only her secret. The Hotaru she had known and  
loved was gone, from a future that would never exist. Actually, the secret  
didn't really mean anything anymore either. No one who would have scolded  
her or Hotaru for it was around anymore except for Pluto, but she probably  
knew all about it anyway. Haiku sighed again. The overcast sky provided no  
stars for her to wish upon.  
  
She had reflected upon it before but it still brought tears to her eyes.  
Everything and everyone she had known in her own time were gone. All of her  
memories were meaningless; they were of events that would never happen.  
Sure, she was with the same senshi but they weren't REALLY the same. They  
didn't know her or share any of the memories of Crystal Tokyo of the good  
times they had spent with her. Or would have spent with her.  
  
She felt the presence of the woman moving up beside her before she saw them.  
Maybe if the other person hadn't been in senshi guise Haiku would not have  
noticed, since her sword only resonated with that warm hum when one of the  
senshi was nearby. Setsuna always seemed to feel more comfortable as Sailor  
Pluto so Haiku could almost always tell when she was near, although she  
didn't let Pluto know that.  
  
"I understand what you must be going though," Pluto said quietly. Without a  
response she continued. "During the time between the Silver Millennium and  
the present I often attempted to live a normal life among the people. It was  
probably one of the things that kept me sane. But,... it hurt everytime I  
lost someone dear to me. When invading armies came in and slaughtered  
everyone I held dear I was forbidden to interfere. At times, it seemed like  
all that I had tried to build was in vain." She stopped to consider her next  
words. Time to get to the point. "The pain... it does go away eventually."  
  
"But, there must have been something you -we could have done..."  
  
"I, I'm sorry. I failed you and my queen." Sailor Pluto waited for the  
response, an accusation of where she had been at the time that Chibi-usa had  
made her final journey from the future. The accusation never came.  
  
"No Pluto; it wasn't your fault. There was nothing anyone could have done."  
Haiku looked up to her friend. "At first... I blamed you. I thought that if  
you had been there you could have saved my parents. But when you weren't  
even there to speak with me in the past, and when I realized that the  
timeline had been altered, it dawned upon me that even if you had moved my  
parents away they still would have disappeared as the rest of my time did,  
because it never would have existed in the first place."  
  
It took a minute for what Haiku had actually said and hinted at to register  
in Pluto's mind. "What do you mean? If you're so sure that your parents  
would have disappeared if I took them out of the timestream, how is it that  
you are here? Now that I think about it, if your parents never existed, or  
even conceived you, how is it that you are here?!"  
  
Haiku was surprised that Pluto had only now realized her predicament. She  
turned her head away from Pluto's glare before answering. "It's; because...,  
...I exist outside of the timestream now. Even more so that you."  
  
"Haiku! Do you even have any idea what you are hinting at? What you are  
telling me isn't even possible!"  
  
Haiku looked directly at Pluto. "Believe me Pluto, it IS possible." She  
looked back down at the water. "I considered the possibility ever since I  
left the future. The circumstances were just too weird-"  
  
"You know, you never did tell me how you got back to the past after I sent  
you to the future-"  
  
"Please don't cut me off Pluto. I'm trying to explain something I'm not even  
sure I understand." Sailor Pluto kept her silence. "A year and a half passed  
between the time when you sent me back to the future and when I returned to  
the past. That's how long it took for the ripple in time to travel a  
thousand years into the future. I'll explain it all later, but basically  
when I held the crystal sword in my hands I became a new person. Haiku. The  
little girl I had been; she vanished when the future was wiped out and  
although she still lives as a part of me, I became of the sword's design on  
that day two years ago. As you may have noticed, I even aged a few years in  
the process."  
  
"But this still doesn't explain why you are so certain that you exist  
outside of the timestream."  
  
"No. At the time I only considered the possibility. It wasn't until I  
managed to translate a few words of the time runes that I truly understood  
what had hap-"  
  
"What did you say?!" Sailor Pluto was completely alert. "Where did you find  
time runes?"  
  
"Oh yeah; with so much on my mind I forgot to mention it to you. There were  
time runes on the door to the room with the sword."  
  
"Time runes? Who told you they were time runes?"  
  
"I did," a new voice said. Haiku and Sailor Pluto spun around to find Hotaru  
listening in on their conversation. "And they weren't time runes. I just  
said that because I knew that you would understand them. "They were actually  
mage runes. The type with multiple meanings. Among us only you Pluto would  
have a chance at being able to translate all of their meanings."  
  
Haiku wasn't thinking clearly and it didn't occur to her to wonder how  
Hotaru knew about what had happened in the future. "You mean, you understood  
them?"  
  
"Well, yes. One meaning anyway. Not the same one that Mercury revealed from  
them though. It didn't make any sense then, but with what you just said  
about being removed from the timeline, it makes perfect sense. I only wish I  
had a copy of them here."  
  
"Actually," Haiku said, "I do have a copy of them."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Mother gave me a memory cube before I left home. It has an image of the  
door which had the runes engraved on them. Here, let me show you." Haiku was  
just about to reach into her sub space pocket and bring out the memory cube  
when something occurred to her. "Hotaru, how is it that you know what  
happened to me in the future?"  
  
"Because I AM the Hotaru you know from the future."  
  
Haiku was completely thrown off. "How... how is that possible."  
  
Instead of Hotaru, Sailor Pluto spoke instead. "Haiku, there's something  
that happened on that day two years ago that none but she and I are aware  
of. The other senshi were right about Sailor Saturn saving Sailor Moon and  
then promising that she would be reborn. What they don't know is that Sailor  
Saturn was wrong. She was not able to be reborn. The beyonder interfered,  
and on that day the spirit of Sailor Saturn died." Haiku was speechless. "I  
knew this and I was very surprised to find Sailor Saturn alive and well when  
I returned with Usagi and Mamoru from the past."  
  
"I think I now know what happened," Hotaru said. "While I was analyzing the  
runes I actually DID get the door to open."  
  
"But how? I was only able to open it when I used the ginzuishou." Haiku  
replied.  
  
"I don't know but when I entered that room with the sword in the pedestal  
the door shut after me." Hotaru thought for a moment. "Now that I think  
about it, there was a circle on the floor around it, and it had the same  
eight-pointed star on it that is in the resistance base here, as well as the  
same one that we used to bring Usagi and Mamoru back from the past."  
  
"That is curious," Pluto said. "I wonder what it means?"  
  
"I don't know, but I heard the sword calling to me so I went up to it and  
touched it. I'm not sure what happened next but I think that when I touched  
it it absorbed my spirit."  
  
"But why didn't I see your body then when I entered the room?" Haiku asked.  
  
Hotaru shrugged. "Without even a dead spirit inhabiting it my body  
disappeared. Anyway, when you returned to the past my spirit was reborn as a  
child. Then later on it was the power of Saturn which caused me to age."  
  
"I'm getting a complicated story with a lot of gaps in it," Pluto said. "I  
think Haiku, that you better tell me the whole story about how you returned  
to the past."  
  
Haiku sighed. It was not a memory she particularly wanted to remember.  
"Well, all right."  
  
Haiku told them how her mother had taken her down beneath the crystal palace  
on that night two years ago. How she had seen some runes and an indent which  
Neo-Queen Serenity or anyone else hadn't been able to see. "And the  
ginzuishou," Haiku said, "It would no longer work for my mother."  
  
"That in itself alone is very serious," Sailor Pluto reflected.  
  
"And then there were the prophecies which Mercury had been able to  
translate. I don't remember any of them now but they had all come true.  
Although I do remember the last line that my mother read. It scared her the  
most. It said: 'Following the departure of the chosen light of hope, the  
time from which it shone from, will become a time that could have been,  
should have been, but now to never exist again. With the loss of the events  
of their memories, the present shall no longer exist.'"  
  
Sailor Pluto didn't even have anything to say that time, and neither did  
Hotaru.  
  
"But that's not what I remember most of all. -what the sword spoke into my  
mind. I don't think I'll ever forget those words."  
  
"You mean the sword spoke to you? Like it was alive?" Hotaru asked.  
  
Haiku nodded. "When I first touched the sword it said 'Arise Haiku'. Then  
when I took the sword out of the pedestal it said 'Become a warrior worthy  
of the sword.' After that I aged about five years and then it said 'Fight  
with the power of eternity'. " Haiku stopped for a moment. "And then before  
it sent me back to the past it said 'Be reborn; as Haiku, the senshi of  
time. the last chance for harmony in time.' But it was really weird, because  
it wasn't like I was talking to another person. It was as if I was speaking  
to myself."  
  
Sailor Pluto shook her head. "I'm sorry Haiku, I don't understand it much  
more than you do. May I see the mage runes?"  
  
"Okay," Haiku replied as she removed the memory cube from her sub-space  
pocket. She placed it into Pluto's hand. Pluto pressed the top of it and a  
life-sized replica of the wall with the runes on it appeared. "Interesting.  
I have not seen a language like this since the days of the Silver  
Millennium." She made the hologram disappear. "May I hang on to this and try  
to translate it correctly?"  
  
Haiku nodded. "I was able to translate a little bit of it but it was just  
too much of a bother." With that Sailor Pluto turned and walked away, but  
Hotaru stayed. For a moment they both just stood there. "Is it really you  
Hota-chan?"  
  
"Of course it is silly," she replied and the two of them embraced.  
  
"Wait," Haiku said. "Prove it."  
  
Hotaru grinned. "Well, do you remember that time when you had mastered  
walking and I decided to take you on a boat cruise..."  
  
end eps. 20 


	23. Episode 21: Unwelcome

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 21 'Unwelcome'  
  
Haiku stood at the bow of the ship. The future was actually starting to look  
bright indeed. The day before Hotaru had told her about the friendship they  
would have made in the past that should have happened. In Crystal Tokyo  
Hotaru had been waiting for Chibi-usa to experience those times after the  
senshi had defeated Galaxia [let's just say she did go back again] but it  
never came. Although Haiku had never actually experienced them, it still  
brought them closer together.  
  
Now they were approaching the most southern continental region, the volcanic  
lavalands.  
  
Michiru stood at the side of the ship as well but was looking down into the  
water instead. An arm across her back and a head on her shoulders signaled  
that Haruka was behind her. "Just like old times, ne?"  
  
"Yeah,.." Michiru replied gloomily.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"I...it's...I just don't feel well." Michiru turned and took a step away. "I  
think I'll go lay down 'til we land," she said before hurrying off. Haruka  
shrugged and turned to the approaching landscape.  
  
It was mostly just black rock. The makeup was somewhat similar to that of  
the mountain region only here there were visible places where it would be  
possible to land the ship and get out safely. Haruka had plenty of  
experience in that area. She had spent nearly a year searching for places  
where she could land her ship around the mountain region and then try to  
scale the cliff. Of course she never succeeded but something had been  
pulling her towards the interior of that region so she wasn't about to let a  
little 50-foot cliff stop her.  
  
She had found the underwater pass completely by accident. She had been  
trying to climb the cliff when she slipped and the climbing rope didn't hold  
under the sudden weight increase. She had fallen maybe 15 feet before  
hitting the water and it was either luck or fate which allowed her to find  
the underwater cavern below. From there it was just a simple matter of  
marking the spot, returning to Afkzo, and "borrowing" the diving equipment  
on a permanent basis. Who was going to say no to a senshi?  
  
She hadn't even guessed at the time that the other senshi were only a day  
behind her after leaving Afkzo. When they had caught up to her her mind had  
been so enriched with the talismans' song that her surprise at seeing them  
didn't really register to her conscious thought. From there on it had just  
been a roller-coaster ride right until the gathering.  
  
Returning her attention to the present she found herself acting without  
thinking again. She was walking towards the bow where Haiku and Hotaru were  
standing and monitoring the strands of magic that were guiding the ship.  
Haruka had noticed that over the duration of the voyage Haiku and Hotaru had  
become closer but she hadn't figured out why yet. Not that she really cared.  
Unlike before now, she really did believe that the only way the senshi could  
succeed was if the inner senshi and the outers were to work together.  
Although she still didn't like it, she had come to terms with Sailor Moon's  
actions during their last battle with the deathbusters. Even though she  
believed that all of the senshi should work together she was still glad at  
the fact that Usagi and Haiku had decided to split up the inners and outers.  
It's not that she didn't like them; it's just that she wasn't sure how close  
each group's view on fighting was now.  
  
When she reached the front of the ship Hotaru was -actually for once-  
laughing. Haiku had an annoyed look on her face and was looking away  
sheepishly. "What's so funny?" Haruka snorted.(She still had an appearance  
to keep up)  
  
"Sorry Haruka, ...you had to be there." Hotaru answered amid her giggling.  
  
Haiku sighed. Actually Haruka HAD been there. Just not this Haruka. Hotaru  
was chuckling about an event in Chibi-usa's childhood. Haiku couldn't see  
what was so funny but she couldn't really remember the incident either.  
  
When Hotaru quieted down Haruka spoke seriously. "So where are we going to  
land the ship? I think there's a good place a little to the left a ways."  
  
Haiku shook her head. "No, we're aren't going to land the ship on the shore  
here."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"I'm going to follow the coast to the right a bit. According to our maps  
back at the palace there should be an inlet coming up. It runs nearly to the  
center of the continent, right next to the Command City."  
  
"That doesn't sound like a very good idea. If we get attacked it will make  
escaping pretty difficult."  
  
"You just let me worry about that. We'll deal with the situation as it  
develops." Haruka didn't like Haiku's authority over their actions but  
accepted her command. It wouldn't do to get Hotaru mad at her, so she  
resumed her watch of the coastline.  
  
The channel was worse than Haruka had hoped for. Unlike around the outside  
of the continent, here the land shot up nearly vertical from the water. Her  
mind was screaming, 'Ambush! Ambush!', and she was just getting more and  
more anxious. In all of her travels she had never moved around out in the  
open like this. If it had been up to her they would be moving cautiously in  
small watercrafts instead of grandly in a sea vessel. She glanced over and  
found that Haiku was scanning the shore as meticulously as herself. Maybe  
she did know what she was doing. Hotaru was just staring down into the  
water. "If anything happens, don't transform unless you have to," Haiku  
cautioned. "I don't know what the attitude towards the senshi is like here.  
  
Haruka only nodded. "I'll go grab Michiru something. Is there anything I can  
get for you Hotaru?"  
  
"Nuh uh," Hotaru replied. She held her hand up and her glaive formed in it.  
  
Haiku stood with her mouth opened. "But you're not even transformed."  
  
"What makes you think that?" Hotaru said innocently. "Is there really a  
difference?"  
  
Making no reply Haiku turned and called to Haruka, "If you see Setsuna tell  
her that she shouldn't come up on deck as Pluto again." Haruka waved as she  
was walking away, signaling that she would.  
  
Later, when she was back on deck, Haruka found herself studying the shore  
again. Every so often there was a place where lava had flowed through cracks  
in the shore and hardened as soon as it reached the water. These natural  
'staircases' were the only places where one could actually climb up onto the  
shore. Of course the ship was moving so quickly that it was hard to  
determine their climbability. Haiku was just as uneasy as herself and wanted  
to reach the end of the canal before nightfall.  
  
At what Haruka guessed to be about 3/4 of the way to the centre of the  
continent the ship suddenly stopped moving smoothly. There was a giant heave  
and she nearly found herself thrown overboard. As it was she was only able  
to just grab the railing before falling down the other side of the ship.  
Jumping back on board she realized that something was missing. Haruka  
charged towards the bow. "What's going on?!" she hollered.  
  
"Can't you feel it?" Haiku called back. Haruka stopped. What was missing?  
Everything looked fine. Then she felt it. Or rather didn't feel it. There  
were no strands of magic! No one was controlling the ship! Looking ahead she  
saw that they were approaching a turn. Even if she managed to get to the  
tiller there wouldn't be enough time to turn the ship. They were going way  
too fast. In the meantime the ship was still shaking, making walking around  
nearly impossible.  
  
"Why is the ship still shaking?"  
  
"It has something to do with the way that the magic was ripped away," Hotaru  
answered from where she was holding Haiku to the side. "I don't think it's  
going to let up!"  
  
"We're going to have to jump," Haruka said but Hotaru and Haiku were already  
over the side.  
  
"I'm with you," she heard Michiru call from behind as she leapt over the  
side.  
  
The water was warm but their clothes were still completely soaked. They  
watched helplessly as the ship smashed itself to pieces against the rock  
face.  
  
"Why do I get the feeling that someone had intended for our ship to be  
totally ruined?" Haruka muttered as she swam towards the nearest lavarun.  
  
"Clever, very clever," she heard Haiku say. "A perfect was to keep away  
outsiders, but it still doesn't explain where the magic went."  
  
They climbed up onto the rocks and squeezed some of the water out of their  
clothing. "It looks like Setsuna's disappeared again," Haiku commented.  
  
"I've had enough of this nonsense," Haruka exclaimed. "Uranus Eternal,  
Unite!" Nothing happened. "What the-"  
  
"Neptune Eternal, Unite!" Still Nothing happened.  
  
"Because there aren't any strands of magic here we obviously can't  
transform," Haiku said "Let's get moving. It's going to be a long walk and  
we might as well get started on it now."  
  
A little later found Haruka and Michiru hanging back a bit and Haiku and  
Hotaru up ahead. "Haiku, I think if I tried I could still become Sailor  
Saturn." Hotaru spoke softly.  
  
"I know. I can transform as well. It's just the eternal transformations that  
are actually fed by the magic grid. Because the senshi went through rebirth  
they can't use their original powers unless they can destroy the magic grid.  
But you weren't affected in the future I guess."  
  
"My transformation isn't eternal," Hotaru said. "I still have the wings in  
the future."  
  
"Then what is your transformation?"  
  
"I don't really know. But since I was also removed from the timestream the  
same as you, my powers haven't been affected." Hotaru stopped to think for a  
moment. "So if we succeed and the magic grid disappears the senshi will get  
their original powers back?"  
  
"I... I'm not really sure. Without being able to understand what happened in  
the first place I don't want to make a guess. In theory they should."  
  
Hotaru turned back to the road ahead of them.  
  
No one felt like sleeping when it got dark so they just continued to walk  
through the night. It was about mid morning when they reached the top of the  
final ridge and what met their eyes was not what they had expected. Instead  
of the black rock that they had been seeing all day and that they had  
expected to see, there was green grass. The centre of the region formed a  
giant crater and in the middle of it was the Command Point. On one side was  
the Command City with its 10-foot wall. Surrounding it was a grove of trees,  
with each one being perfectly green all over. But the most disturbing part  
was the half-mountain half-tower structure that had been erected on the  
opposite side of the Command Point as the Command City. Waves of magic were  
rising from the land and from the Command Point to converge at the top of  
this structure which stood at about half of the Command Point's height. From  
there the magic flooded onto the valley, creating the plants. For those who  
could actually see the strands of magic like the senshi it was quite a light  
show. "This is eerie," Hotaru commented. They hadn't been able to see any of  
this until they had topped the ridge. Aside from approaching it on foot the  
only way one could reach the crater would be to come in through the canal.  
The canal continued into the crater for a little bit, creating a small  
harbour, before disappearing underground.  
  
"Now what?" Haruka asked. "It's not like we can just waltz in there and ask  
what's going on."  
  
"Sure we can Haruka," Haiku replied. "We can just say that we're refugees.  
We fled the other continents on a ship. We found the canal and followed it.  
We wrecked our ship on the rocks and were forced to walk and we just  
followed the river and ended up in this place."  
  
"...fine. I suppose it should work."  
  
"And don't forget to be mad at me."  
  
"That won't be hard." Haiku gave her a look but said nothing. "You did after  
all steer the ship right into the rocks. Even a ditz like you should have  
been able to avoid something like that."  
  
Haiku looked at her but said nothing.  
  
***  
  
The streets of the Command City were deserted. No sound; nothing moved. The  
high skyscrapers shadowing the run-down shacks in the dim light created an  
eerie atmosphere. Haiku, Hotaru, Haruka, and Michiru were walking down one  
of those streets.  
  
"It wasn't like this the last time I was here. I don't like it," Haruka  
muttered.  
  
"You don't like anything."  
  
Haruka grinned. "No, I can think of some things that I like," she replied,  
placing a hand on Michiru's shoulder.  
  
They entered what appeared to be a marketplace, only without any of the  
stalls. The pavement was set in a large circular pattern a few times wider  
than the streets branching off from it with buildings placed where there  
were no streets. In the middle was a statue of a man with his left foot up  
on a rock and his left arm resting on that knee. The problem with it was  
that it didn't have a head. Although unusual, it seemed natural for it to be  
there.  
  
"Now where?"  
  
"I don't see anyone here so let's hurry and head for that weird tower over  
on the other side of the Command Point," Haiku answered. "The sooner we  
finish the better." She was about to lead on when she heard a sound from  
behind. "On second thought, how about we wait here to see who is coming to  
greet us." As they waited, more shouts joined the first and they got  
progressively louder. They didn't sound too happy.  
  
Finally, the crowd, or rather the mob, came into view. It was a whole bunch  
of people, armed with pitch-forks and chunks of wood with nails through  
them. They were all being led by a robed figure. Haiku drew her sword from  
its sheath on her back. The ginzuishou was now placed in its hilt.  
  
"Here comes the welcoming committee," Haruka announced. "Why is it that  
everywhere you go Haiku there's someone trying to kill you?"  
  
"Maybe this is the way they greet all of their guests."  
  
"There they are!" A shout was heard. "Kill them all!"  
  
"Or maybe not."  
  
The robed figure held its hands forward. Haiku moved into a fighting stance.  
Or at least she tried to. Haruka cursed. "We can't move. I told you we  
should have found a way to transform. He's holding us to the spot."  
  
"Relax. I'll take care of it," Haiku replied. The ginzuishou pulsed and  
exploded in a flash of blinding white light followed by a deafening crash of  
thunder. When the light faded the senshi could move again. The cloaked  
figure was lying on the ground unmoving. The mob was silent, unsure of what  
to do. All of the buildings in the surrounding area had been leveled.  
  
A flash of light in the sky drew the senshi's attention to the tower  
standing beside the Command Point. Suddenly a beam of light shone down from  
it and engulfed them. "Not again," Haruka muttered as she found that once  
again she could not move.  
  
Fortunately, this time Hotaru jumped out of the way, and therefore didn't  
get caught in the beam's light. In a flash of dark light she became Sailor  
Saturn, and out of that darkness her wing's and her glaive formed. Without a  
pause she pointed her glaive towards the tower and said, "Silent  
destruction."  
  
If silence could be a sound, rather than just the absence of sound, that's  
was happened next. All of the current noises suddenly became harder to hear.  
Next, the whole top half of the tower exploded, but there was no sound.  
Along with the destruction of the tower the beam of light dispersed and the  
other senshi were able to move once again.  
  
Violent energies began to swirl around and around as the strands of magic  
that had been drawn to the tower began to return to their place of origin.  
People fell back hurt and even more buildings collapsed. The ground started  
to shake as it reshaped itself. Some parts of the earth rised while others  
fell.  
  
A portal formed above the senshi and Sailor Pluto dropped out of it.  
"Soldiers, transform quickly," she said. "In a short while this entire area  
is going to be destroyed and become as barren as the rest of the region. And  
the princess needs our help."  
  
"Uranus Eternal, Unite!"  
"Neptune Eternal, Unite!"  
Haiku had no need to transform.  
  
The five senshi gathered in a circle, joining hand to hand. "I'll lead,"  
Haiku said. "I can feel Usagi's presence."  
  
"SAILOR TELEPORT!"  
  
The sailor soldiers left the valley to its own destruction.  
  
***** 


	24. Episode 22: Shortcut

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 22 'Shortcut'  
  
Usagi awoke with a face full of sand.  
  
Coughing and sputtering she got up, spun around, and then ran back into the  
ocean which had delivered her onto the beach. Only after spending a good  
five minutes spitting did her mouth feel clean enough for her to stop and  
return to shore. As she trudged out of the water she noticed that Sailor  
Jupiter and Sailor Mars were already on their feet and looking around. None  
of the others were in sight. Sailor Mars had her hands on her hips. "You  
know Usagi, a nightgown isn't exactly the best choice of clothing for a swim  
in the ocean or a walk in the desert!"  
  
"You're definitely not helping Rei," Usagi replied and stuck out her tongue.  
She turned her back to Mars and lifted her locket from her chest. She had it  
attached to a chain around her neck so she just held it forwards. "Moon  
Eternal, ma....." Usagi's voice died down. Something wasn't right. She  
couldn't feel the power that the locket usually gave off when preparing for  
a transformation. Suddenly afraid of what she would find she slowly turned  
her locket around to look at the front of it.  
  
"Come on Usagi, we don't have all day," Mars scolded impatiently. When Usagi  
didn't reply or stick her tongue out at Rei it got Sailor Jupiter's  
attention.  
  
"Usagi, what's wrong?"  
  
"It's gone."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Look!" Usagi spun around, the locket hanging from her fingers. There were  
tears in her eyes. At first all Jupiter saw was the look of anguish on  
Usagi's face. But an 'oh my' from Mars brought her attention to the locket.  
Plainly put, it was broken. To be more precise, most of the outer covering  
was missing. But the most startling fact was that the heart-shaped  
ginzuishou was clearly now it two pieces, -and dead black.  
  
"What am I going to do?!" Usagi nearly wailed. Mars was grasping for  
something to say but Sailor Jupiter clearly saw that Usagi was trembling.  
Jupiter moved forward quickly and just in time to catch Usagi before she  
fell. On Jupiter's shoulder the trickle of tears burst into a waterfall.  
  
"Don't worry Usagi. It will be okay."  
  
"Oh it's so horrible. You couldn't imagine what it's like. I feel like a  
part of me is missing, like it's been ripped away. It's...." Whatever she  
was going to stay was lost in a fresh batch of tears.  
  
"Don't worry Usagi, it will be okay. We'll figure out a way," Jupiter  
comforted. She was pulling up a blank and looked to Mars for any ideas.  
  
Sailor Mars was thinking like mad. There had to be something they could do.  
Think. Think. "What if you used your prism power instead. You didn't need  
the ginzuishou for that.  
  
Usagi shook her head. "No, it wouldn't work. That broach was completely  
destroyed before I was powered up with the ginzuishou."  
  
"But maybe-"  
  
"Don't you see Rei! The moon princess was never meant to be a senshi!"  
  
"I'm sorry Usagi, I don't understand."  
  
"All of your senshi powers come from within. You were born with it. But my  
power came through the prism locket, the crystal, and the grail. They're  
only weapons. That's why there was no Sailor Moon in the time of the Silver  
Millennium. It wasn't until now that we needed to use these...tools.  
  
"I take it you've put a lot of thought into this."  
  
"Yes. I've been working on it during the past year and a half we spent in  
during the Silver Millennium." Good, Mars thought. She had Usagi thinking  
again. Now to put it to good use.  
  
"What about that power you were supposed to inherit on your eighteenth  
birthday back in the Silver Millennium?"  
  
Usagi shook her head. "That might be possible anywhere but here. Ami  
explained it to me. All of our powers run off of the strands of magic now.  
Even if there was something inside of me there is no way I could focus it  
into anything usable. And I don't even know how to.  
  
"There must be something Usagi that you can still use to fight. Does  
anything come to mind." They had to find something to get Usagi going.  
Suddenly Usagi smacked herself in the head.  
  
"Of course! How could I have forgotten." She let go of Jupiter, hopping  
around in excitement. "The solution is right there in front of me and I  
didn't even realize it."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Usagi settled down a bit. "The night when we were attacked, after the first  
battle that strange little girl came to me in my room. She looked exactly  
like Chibi-usa, but it wasn't her. I'm not sure what she is. Anyway, the  
important part is that she told me that we have to go to the Caverns of  
Shmite."  
  
"Just great. Now we have her receiving her instructions from strange little  
girls in the middle of the night."  
  
"It's not even possible for us to pass through the caverns of Shmite without  
having the whole sailor team. We can't pass up the chance of being able to  
bypass that factor of the caverns," Sailor Jupiter commented.  
  
"Do you know how far away we are from them Jupiter?" Usagi asked.  
  
Sailor Jupiter squinted. "Not too far. We should be able to get underground  
before the sun goes down, and to the caverns of Shmite shortly after.  
  
"Good. It's decided then." Usagi popped Luna's pen out of her sub-space  
pocket. "Disguise magic, make up!" There was a flash of light and in a  
moment Usagi was no longer standing there in her soaking wet nightgown, but  
clothes suitable for traveling instead. Jupiter and Mars detransformed as  
well. "Well now."  
  
And so a confident Makoto led off a determined Usagi, who was followed by a  
frustrated Rei.  
  
**********  
  
After spending at least an hour walking through identical terrain it is only  
natural for the mind to daze and for the walking to become automatic. That's  
why there was no possible way for Usagi to stop herself from walking into  
Makoto when she stopped. Without even a comment Rei automatically lifted  
Usagi back up to her feet. She stood next to Makoto as Usagi tried to become  
un-dazed. "What is it?" Rei asked. Makoto was now kneeling.  
  
"This." As Rei observed, Makoto stuck her arm right under the ground as if  
there was nothing there at all.  
  
"Is this the same entrance we passed through on our last visit?"  
  
"No. We're still quite a ways away from the city. Right now we're close to  
the main entrance to the Caverns of Shmite."  
  
"How far down?"  
  
"That's the thing. I'm not sure how far down this cavern goes before you hit  
ground and I don't really want to jump blindly and hope that it works out  
all right."  
  
"So we'll be riding strands of magic down?"  
  
"That's about it."  
  
"Is Usagi coming or is one of us going to stay here while the other checks  
it out?"  
  
"I don't know. Can Usagi use the strands of magic?"  
  
At the sound of her name Usagi snapped out of her daze. "Can I do what?" she  
asked as she knelt down next to them.  
  
"Can you use the strands of magic."  
  
"Well, sorta," Usagi admitted honestly. "What do you need me to do?" Makoto  
explained the situation. "Well, I haven't used them much yet but I'm sure I  
can manage. So basically it's repelling, only without any harnesses or other  
safety things."  
  
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Now let's hurry up and go. I can already see  
the sand worms coming towards us."  
  
"Sand worms!!!"  
  
"Yeah, over there," Makoto answered, pointing. "They'll be here in a minute  
or so, so let's go." After making sure her concentration was focused and  
with a good grip on the strands of magic she jumped into and right through  
the sand.  
  
"You're next dumpling head," Rei announced. "And you better hurry."  
  
"I know what I'm doing," Usagi responded as she stepped through the hole.  
  
"That's good, because I don't know what you're doing," Rei commented as she  
followed Usagi through.  
  
***  
  
Black. There was nothing but black. It only took a couple of seconds for the  
penetrating light from the surface to vanish as the 3 senshi glided down the  
strands of magic into a seemingly bottomless pit. Although the 3 of them  
couldn't see any of the cavern they were passing through, the strands of  
magic were easily seen.  
  
After a few minutes Usagi asked, "Is it just me, or are the number of  
strands of magic decreasing.  
  
"Of course they're not silly," Rei replied. "I don't know wh-hey!"  
  
"Yes Usagi, they are. I hope they don't run out before we hit the bottom."  
  
As they continued downwards the number of strands decreased by more and  
more. When there were no longer enough strands to support Usagi's disguise  
it disappeared as well.  
  
"Oh dear," Usagi cried.  
  
"What is it now?" Rei asked. Her answer came not in words but as an added  
weight on her back. "Usagi, what are you trying to do?!" she shouted as she  
struggled to stop them from continuing downwards.  
  
"My strand just ran out and I can't see any more. What else was I supposed  
to do?"  
  
Before Rei could answer Makoto stated calmly, "I think we're going to have  
to jump soon. I should have thought of it while we were farther up but now,  
with only two visible strands of magic there's no way you could transform,  
or for either of us to make a light."  
  
"So what do you suggest?"  
  
"Just let me continue on for now. If the strand ends less than fifty feet  
above the ground I can make it. If it's more than that I want you to take  
Usagi back up to the surface."  
  
"No Makoto!" Usagi objected. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself like that!"  
  
"What else are we supposed to do? Risk all of our lives? Usagi?" Silence.  
"Usagi?" Silence. "Usagi, answer me!"  
  
Usagi spoke almost in a whisper. "Do you guys hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"Do you hear the water?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Makoto answered.  
  
"Same here," Rei added.  
  
Usagi continued in a soft voice, "I can hear the water, below us. Trust me."  
With that she let go of Rei's back and fell backwards and downwards into the  
pit.  
  
"Usagi!!!!"  
  
A splashing noise was heard from below. "Hey, she was right." Suddenly the  
two strands of magic they were hanging from disappeared and they found  
themselves falling towards the water as well. It was freezing cold.  
  
Rising to the surface they met only complete darkness. "Usagi, where are  
you?"  
  
"Over here." Swimming towards the sound of her voice the two of them found a  
ledge that they could climb up onto.  
  
Once they were all up on the ledge Rei spoke. "Now how the heck are we  
supposed to see anythi-" Suddenly the cavern was illuminated by a dim light,  
the source being unidentifiable. Right in front of them was a tunnel which  
led away from the hole they had been traveling down through. Rei turned  
around to look at the water they had just climbed out of but found nothing  
but rock. "Hey, where did the water go?" The other two spun around.  
  
"It was- hey, now we're dry as well!" Usagi exclaimed.  
  
"Welcome to the Caverns of Shmite," Makoto said as she led them through the  
tunnel and into another chambre. "This is ...quite different from how I  
remember it." At the other side of the room were two gigantic pillars  
covered with carvings. The entrance to the caverns of Shmite being right  
between them. The only thing, was that instead of the normal entrance there  
was a weird kind of portal. It was kind of like looking into a wall of  
liquid metal. A 7-year-old Chibi-usa stood in front of it.  
  
"Of course it's different. We're going to take a little short-cut."  
  
"Hey, it's you again," Usagi exclaimed.  
  
"What do you mean by a 'little short-cut'," Makoto asked.  
  
"Oh, we're just going to jump from here to the other end of the caverns,"  
she answered.  
  
"So this is where all of the strands of magic have gone to," Rei said.  
  
"Yes, he kind of forgot that you wouldn't be able to make it all the way  
down without the strands."  
  
"Who? Who's 'he'"?  
  
"Don't worry, just follow me," she said cheerfully as she passed through the  
portal.  
  
"Let's go," Usagi said.  
  
"But we don't even know where it goes," Rei objected.  
  
"I trust her," Usagi responded before stepping into the portal. Makoto  
nodded at Rei and the two of them followed her through.  
  
*****  
  
"YES, I CAN SEE IT. HER STAR SEED GLOWS BRIGHTLY. SHE MUST BE THE ONE. OUR  
ONE RAY OF HOPE," the old man said.  
  
"See, I told you. Her shine is brighter than all of the others," the little  
girl said.  
  
"WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. AS SOON AS SHE ARRIVES I SHALL PLACE HER  
THROUGH THE TRIALS."  
  
"Are you sure that that's a good idea? What if she isn't ready for it?"  
  
"IF SHE REALLY IS THE ONE THAT WE HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR THEN THERE IS NO  
WAY THAT SHE WILL NOT BE READY FOR IT."  
  
"But what if she isn't the one. I'm starting to feel doubt now."  
  
"NONSENSE. YOU ARE JUST EXCITED. SHE MUST BE THE ONE."  
  
"If you say so." The little girl bowed and disappeared.  
  
*****  
  
Usagi, still in her nightgown, stepped into the room. In the middle of it  
was an arch, just sitting there, and on the far side on a pedestal was a  
medallion encased in crystal. Everything was made of a gold-coloured rock.  
  
Usagi just stood there, staring through the archway at the medallion on the  
other side of the room. A voice spoke to her inside her head. "I HAVE BEEN  
WAITING FOR YOU."  
  
"You have?"  
  
"YES. YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE. ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE TRIALS TO BECOME OUR  
MESSIAH?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"THEN PROCEED."  
  
Rei and Makoto stepped out of the portal to find Usagi slowly walking  
towards a doorway in the middle of the room. "No, Usagi, stop!" Rei cried.  
She charged towards Usagi but it was too late. Usagi stepped into the  
doorway and vanished. Rei just passed through it and came out on the other  
side. "Nooooooo!"  
  
The little girl stepped through the portal through which they had entered  
the room. "Don't worry, she'll be all right. This is something that she has  
to do on her own."  
  
"Do what?! What is she doing."  
  
"She's just earning that medallion over there. Her shine is incredible; I'm  
sure she is the one," she said before stepping back into the portal.  
  
"But what if she's not?" Rei asked.  
  
*** 


	25. Episode 23: Mistaken Identity

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 23 'Mistaken Identity'  
  
Usagi found herself standing in an empty room. Then she was suddenly  
surrounded by the senshi. "Everyone, what is it?"  
  
"You failed us Usagi!"  
  
"You lost and allowed the world to be destroyed!"  
  
"We were counting on you!"  
  
"You screwed it up, just like everything else!"  
  
"Can't you do anything right?"  
  
"How can you live with yourself!"  
  
"You will never become a woman worthy of being a queen!"  
  
"You disgust me!"  
  
"Everyone, how can you say such things?" Usagi fell to her knees. "We love  
each other." She turned to find Tuxedo Kamen standing over her. "Don't we?"  
  
"You're so naive Usagi," he said. "The only reason I pretend to love you is  
because destiny says it should be so. Now that destiny no longer exists  
there is no reason for us to be together," he said coldly before turning  
away from her.  
  
"Nooo! It can't be real. Don't leave me alone!" Suddenly everything began to  
burn. Usagi screamed as the flames engulfed her body, the smell of burning  
flesh filling her nostrils.  
  
Then everything was ice cold. The icy air chilled Usagi to the bone. She  
slowly lost feeling as her body began to freeze and...  
  
Suddenly everything was on fire again. "Please stop! PLEASE LET IT END! I'M  
NOT READY!!!"  
  
*****  
  
The little girl turned away. It was too painful to watch. She turned to the  
old man. "Maybe she isn't the one like she says."  
  
"SHE HAS TO BE. YOU SAID IT YOURSELF."  
  
"But you're destroying her mind."  
  
"SHE JUST HAS TO CAST AWAY HER OUTER SHELL. WHEN SHE IS READY, HER TRUE SELF  
WILL EMERGE."  
  
"But-"  
  
"LEAVE ME! CAST AWAY YOUR NEGATIVE SUSPICIONS."  
  
The little girl was silent. She pouted and disappeared.  
  
*****  
  
Rei paced back and forth across the room.  
  
"Don't worry Rei, she always comes through for us. Stop pacing."  
  
"I know, it's just..." Rei stammered. "I don't like it."  
  
"I don't like it either," another voice said. Rei and Makoto turned to find  
the little girl floating in the air between them. "My master is so sure that  
she's the one but I'm not so sure anymore."  
  
"What do you mean?" Rei exclaimed. "Who is this 'one' you keep on talking  
about?"  
  
"Well, I'll start at the beginning. No- that will take too long. I'll start  
with the present. Here's the story, as simplistic as I can make it: Only  
with the help of the senshi of time can we defeat the beyonder. The shine of  
her star seed is supposed to be incredible. My master believes that your  
friend is this 'senshi of time' because the glow of her star seed is  
amazing."  
  
"But..."  
  
"But, I'm not so sure anymore. We're supposed to know without a doubt  
whether she's the right one or not, and I'm feeling kind of doubtful. And  
then there's the fact that she's supposed to find us, not the other way  
around."  
  
"But what can we do? If he won't even listen to you..."  
  
"You have to tell me. Is there anyone else that you know who might be this  
'senshi of time'? Anyone out of the already unusual?"  
  
"Well, there's Sailor Pluto, the guardian of time."  
  
"No, it's not her."  
  
"Hmmmm, how about you Mako?"  
  
"I don't know. There seems to be someone shadowing Pluto but it's hiding so  
well that I can tell who or what it is. I don't think it would be Sailor  
Saturn, she's the senshi of silence. There's Haiku, but even sh-"  
  
"What did you say? What was that last person?"  
  
"You mean Haiku?"  
  
"Yes. Who is she? Is she a senshi?"  
  
"Well, kind of. It's complicated." Makoto stopped for a moment. She looked  
at Rei who nodded agreement. "All right, I suppose she is the only other one  
who might be involved in time. Her actual name is Usagi or Chibi-usa. The  
form that you have taken on is a younger version of her. She's our friend's  
daughter from the future. In this time she is also known as 'The Gatherer';  
she brought us all together after being separated two years ago. I don't  
think she has explained everything to any of us yet."  
  
"Yes. And she's a senshi? What does her fuku look like?"  
  
"Well, we're not sure. She hasn't actually transformed yet. She just uses  
the ginzuishou and the strands of magic. And then she has a crystal sword."  
  
The little girl was getting excited. "Yes? And where is she now?"  
  
"Now that's the problem," Rei said. "She and the the outer senshi are at or  
on their way to the volcanic region. And if she IS the one you are looking  
for didn't you say that she would find her way to you?"  
  
"Yes, I know. But I'm worried for your friend. It never hurts to give fate a  
little push to help it along."  
  
"But isn't there anything you can do to help her?!" Makoto exclaimed.  
  
"Anything that WE can do to help her?" Rei added.  
  
"I don't know," she replied. "I'll have to take a look." The little girl did  
a back flip and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She took a quick look at  
Usagi and saw that she wasn't doing any better. Pushing that aside she  
reached out for the others who had been on the ship before it was destroyed.  
She would have reached out to find this 'Haiku' girl but she had no idea  
what to look for and had very little time. After a little bit she returned  
to the others.  
  
"What did you find?" Makoto asked anxiously.  
  
"There isn't really a whole lot we can do. Unfortunately, both of your  
friends have been captured by the enemy. All I can do is to offer to send  
you there to retrieve them. We can only hope that the senshi of time emerges  
before Usagi gives up."  
  
"Okay," Rei agreed. "I'll go after Ami. Mako can go after Mina."  
  
"But I can't even transform," Makoto objected. "Not without Mina's help."  
  
The little girl squinted for a moment. "What do you mean?"  
  
"The powers of Jupiter and Venus have been linked. We can only transform  
when we're together."  
  
"I still don't understand. Your aura is independent. Not like Mina's. I saw  
the link on her aura when I helped her but I don't see it on yours. I think  
it's been ripped apart by something."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I think that perhaps she has broken the link between you. Can I see your  
forehead please?" Makoto knelt down so that the girl would be able to reach  
her forehead. The little girl gave it a light tap and the sign of Jupiter  
appeared on Mako's forehead. The symbol floated from her forehead and grew  
into a three-dimensional block. It was then surrounded by a circle and a  
star. A handle grew down below it which she grasped in her hand, and then  
stood up. "Better?"  
  
"All right. Way to go Mina! I'm ready for action now. Let's do it."  
  
"Right! Mars Eternal, Unite!"  
  
"Jupiter Eternal, Unite!"  
  
"Now," the little girl exclaimed, "What I'm going to do is open two portals  
which are close to where your friends are being held. Once you find them you  
just have to return to the portal and they will close behind you. I'll try  
to persuade my master to cancel the trial but I can't promise anything. Any  
questions?"  
  
Mars and Jupiter looked at each other. "Let's go and cause some trouble."  
  
"Good idea." The two of them vanished into the portals simultaneously.  
  
"Good luck."  
  
*****  
  
The next thing she knew, there was someone shaking her awake. "Ami, Ami,  
wake up!" The ground was cold. Her eyes didn't want to open on their own.  
The top half of her left arm was burning in pain but in the lower half she  
felt nothing. When her eyes slowly drifted open she found a worried Sailor  
Mars bent over her. "Ami! Are you okay? How do you feel? When I saw all of  
the blood I though you were... what happened?"  
  
Ami tried to sit up but met nothing but pain. "I was... ambushed, I  
think..." Then it all came back to her. The dog, the explosion, the bounty  
hunter. "My lower left arm, it's gone, isn't it?" Sailor Mars closed her  
eyes and turned away, but nodded. "Has the bleeding stopped?"  
  
"Ami, the upper arm is in tatters. I've tied a bandage around the top of the  
arm, and it has lessened the bleeding a little. But, ...I'm not even sure  
how you've lasted this long. Your blood is all over the floor. It's..."  
  
"Mars, I... you have to do something for me,-something you might not want to  
do."  
  
"No Ami, don't ask me to leave you here. I couldn't..."  
  
"No, of course not," Ami tried to smile through the pain but it didn't come  
out very well. "If my arm isn't in one piece then burn it closed. I can feel  
the blood, my clothes are soaked in it. I must be barely alive. I'm so  
tired. You have to stop the bleeding."  
  
"Well Ami, as long as it's all right with you." Sailor Mars focused.  
"Blaze!" In a few moments Ami's left arm was completely burned up, but the  
bleeding was stopped.  
  
"Thank you," Ami spoke silently before slipping into unconsciousness.  
  
"Don't worry Ami, I won't fail you," Sailor Mars said as she picked up the  
blood-soaken body of her friend. She then continued past the smoldering  
guards outside the door, and then all of the ashes from shadows out in the  
hallway.  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Mars returned to the chambre to find that Sailor Jupiter had not yet  
returned. She called out, but the little girl didn't appear. Placing Ami  
softly on the floor she spun around and called out again. She was alone in  
the room. Ami was silently sleeping while only the portal that Sailor  
Jupiter had disappeared through remained. She looked at Ami, and then at the  
portal. "Sorry Ami, but I have to go now. You'll be safe here for now." With  
that she disappeared through the portal.  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Mars entered the city at a point down in an alley. The huge building  
loomed above her. "This must be it." As she watched, a beam of energy shot  
from the top of it out to a target outside of the city but she couldn't see  
what it was hitting because of the buildings all around. Everything was  
black, it was night. She assumed that Venus was inside and that Jupiter had  
gone in there as well. As she came around to the front of the building she  
found the smoldering remains of what might have been humans at one point.  
The Command Point loomed behind her so maybe it wasn't even the Creator who  
they were up against, maybe humans this time. She stepped into a lobby. On  
the far end of the room was an elevator. Nothing moved. Unfortunately the  
elevator doors were open, and as far as Mars could tell, the elevator had  
come crashing down from a higher floor and was now smashed on the ground  
floor. Sighing she turned to the stairs.  
  
*****  
  
"Who are you?!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed. He stood confidently at the other  
side of the room. He was holding Sailor Venus, only she was hanging above  
the ground. He had his hand squeezed around her neck.  
  
"I am the great Aries, servant of the beyonder. Surrender now or your friend  
dies."  
  
"I'll never give up."  
  
"Then she dies," he laughed as he began to squeeze.  
  
"Jupiter Lightning Wa-aaack," Jupiter was cut off as he blasted her  
backwards. Lowering his hand again he tighten his grip on Venus' neck. Her  
struggling was starting to lessen by this point.  
  
"Mars Flaming Inferno, BLAZE!!!" Great waves of fire came pummeling towards  
Aries but he merely raised a hand and it disappeared. "What?"  
  
"How dare you defy me!!!" he burned. "You will all die!!"  
  
"Damn you!" Sailor Mars cried as she charged towards him. She was about to  
hit him with a punch when he took his free hand and grabbed her by the neck  
as well. There was nothing Mars could do. It was like hitting rock.  
  
"You will suffer by my own hands," Aries yelled as Mars felt her air supply  
being cut off.  
  
By this point Sailor Venus was almost out. But she hadn't given up. "I  
...won't let you,..." she murmured as she raised a finger to his forehead.  
"Crescent Beam...." Light burst from her fingers as a continuous stream. He  
just laughed.  
  
"Your pathetic crescent can do nothing to me." He then felt another finger  
on his face.  
  
"BLAZE!!!" she cried as she sent a stream of fire right into his eye. This  
time it did do some damage.  
  
"Aaaaaaaah," Aries screamed as he felt his eye fry right in his head. He  
threw Mars against the nearest wall so that he could bring his hand up to  
his eye. "You'll pay for this," he cursed. He then released the tension on  
Sailor Venus's neck. Unfortunately he then continued to press the front of  
her body against the wall. He removed his hand from her neck, but before her  
body had time to fall to the floor he had brought his elbow right into her  
back.  
  
Sailor Venus screamed as he broke her back and a few of her ribs in one  
swift stroke. She crumpled to the floor.  
  
"Why you, Jupiter Lightning Wave Capture!" An electric mesh formed around  
Aries but he just laughed.  
  
"This is nothing to me," he said as he effortlessly reached an arm through  
the cage.  
  
Then suddenly a voice came from behind Jupiter. "Mercury Polar Ice Sheet  
Freeze!" Although it was ineffective as well, the ice was able to freeze  
Aries' arm which caused him to fall back. "Now Jupiter! Grab Venus and let's  
get out of here..." As Sailor Mercury finished her sentence she felt a wave  
of dizziness come over her. Fortunately Mars had already recovered and was  
charging towards her.  
  
"Follow me Jupiter," Sailor Mars called as she scooped up Sailor Mercury and  
continued towards the edge of the room. Without a second thought she crashed  
through the window, with Sailor Jupiter right behind her. Aries' screams of  
rage followed them down.  
  
*****  
  
A single bed had been placed into the final room of the Caverns of Shmite.  
Usagi's lifeless body lies there, still in her nightgown, and with her  
broken pendant lying on her chest. The little girl stands beside her. "I  
told you she wasn't the one, didn't I?"  
  
"I WAS SO SURE THAT SHE WAS THE ONE."  
  
"It was meaningless!" She waits for a response but none comes. Unlike her,  
he prefers to not take on a physical form, and now his consciousness has  
left. Suddenly she feels it coming. Someone is approaching. She is  
frightened that they will misunderstand what has happened, so she carefully  
leaves.  
  
Five columns of light begin to form on the other side of the room. Uranus  
and Neptune, Pluto and Saturn, Haiku. As soon as they arrive they release  
hands and take up a defensive position. Although they see Usagi lying on the  
table, none rush towards her for fear of danger. "Where are we?" Uranus  
asks.  
  
Haiku glances all around. "I see it right in front of us, yet I don't  
believe it to true."  
  
"Would you leave the riddles for another time?!"  
  
"I think we're in the Caverns of Shmite," Haiku says. "The final one to be  
exact. But I don't see how Usagi got through them all without the aid of the  
senshi. And additionally I don't see the senshi anywhere."  
  
Sailor Pluto points her staff. "They have perhaps passed through this portal  
here. I can sense a trace of their presence having passed through it." She  
points again. "And another one here. There was another portal here which has  
since disappeared. I cannot tell whether anyone has traveled back through it  
though.  
  
"Any present dangers anyone?" Haiku asks. The answer is the same all around.  
  
"None."  
  
"Good. Uranus, watch the portal. Neptune, watch everything. Pluto and  
Saturn, you come with me." The three of them approach Usagi's unmoving body.  
Sailor Saturn gasps when she sees the shattered locket but says nothing.  
They kneel around her. Saturn places her hands on Usagi. She closes her  
eyes. To Haiku it seems like hours, but in fact it is just a few minutes  
before Saturn opens her eyes. She stares at nothing. "Well?" Haiku asks.  
  
Sailor Saturn pulls her hands down from Usagi's head to her hand. "I don't  
know. Her body isn't dead, but she isn't completely alive either. Her mind  
does not respond but is still there. There exists more than a physical  
wound, one that I cannot heal.  
  
Sailor Pluto speaks. "She has lost the ability to transform. The ginzuishou  
has lost its powers before, but has never seen destruction. I think we can  
deduce, if only from her clothing, that the inner senshi have not had as  
easy of a time as we have."  
  
"But the evil powers which threaten us aren't here," Haiku says. "We aren't  
in the nest of the enemy, but maybe even the opposite. I don't understand."  
  
Suddenly a gloved hand sticks out of the portal, but gets sucked back in.  
"Haiku," Uranus growls, "We have trouble."  
  
Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn rise and place themselves between the portal  
and Usagi and Haiku. Although Haiku feels this guarding of herself as well  
as Usagi unnecessary she says nothing. Arguing with the outer senshi is  
almost always a battle lost. In a slight flash of light the portal expands  
upwards and outwards to allow a very battered-looking Mars to pass through  
it while carrying an even worse-looking Sailor Mercury in her arms. A second  
later she is followed by Sailor Jupiter carrying Sailor Venus. Both pairs of  
senshi dive off to the side just in time to avoid an enormous gust of energy  
that comes flying through the portal after them.  
  
The height of the portal changes again. It rises to ten feet high, and then  
starts to shrink. Just as it passes eight feet a minotaur leaps through it.  
The creature is seven feet tall and just radiates evil. The portal collapses  
behind it. "You will all suffer! You shall all burn!" he cries. He hasn't  
seen the outer senshi yet.  
  
It is the outer senshi tradition to shoot first and ask questions later.  
This time is no exception. "World Shaking!"  
  
"Deep Submerge!"  
  
"Dead Scream!"  
  
The three balls of energy collide with the minotaur and he stubbles  
forward. He spins around. "You dare challenge the great Aries? You will  
die!" He yells and throws up his arms. Dark energy flies from them. Sailor  
Saturn leaps in front of him and holds up her glaive in both hands. "Silence  
Block!" Although she slides a bit backwards, his energy does not penetrate  
her shield.  
  
Suddenly a cage of light energy comes down on top of him from the ceiling.  
He bangs on it but nothing happens. "No! You can't do this to me." The  
little girl who looks like Chibi-usa drops down from the ceiling as well and  
floats in the air in front of him.  
  
"No! You can't do this to us," she says.  
  
"The power of the beyonder is infinite! You will obey!"  
  
"No. It isn't. Now leave here demon. You and what you stand for has no place  
in this holy place. Even the beyonder must obey his own rules."  
  
The demon says nothing. "Very well. But know that your cause is futile. The  
beyonder is master now." Aries is engulfed in flames and then disappears.  
  
Silence. No one moves. No one completely understands what has just happened  
or what is going on. The silence is broken with Sailor Jupiter rushing  
towards Usagi. She throws her arms around Usagi and tries not to cry. "Oh  
Usagi, I'm so sorry. We weren't able to make it back in time."  
  
Sailor Saturn steps forward, looking at Sailor Venus lying on the floor and  
then at Sailor Mars, sitting on the floor, cradling an unconscious Sailor  
Mercury who is missing an arm. "Who do I help first?"  
  
"Help Venus," Sailor Mars says calmly. "I think her back is broken; HE broke  
it." Sailor Saturn hesitates. Sailor Mars looks at herself and Mercury. "All  
of the blood is Mercury's. The bleeding is stopped and she's resting now."  
Saturn nods and rushes to Venus' side. Pluto steps to help her.  
  
Haiku steps up to the only one of the inner senshi who isn't incapacitated.  
"Sailor Mars, what's going on? What's happened?"  
  
"Well, it's quite a story." Mars proceeds to tell Haiku about the attack on  
the ship, then their arrival on the shores of Afkzo. "Usagi's locket was  
like that when we arrived so it must have happened during the battle." She  
then tells her about the mysterious little girl who helped them in the  
battle on the ship and then gave instructions to Usagi, and how she allowed  
them to skip through the Caverns of Shmite. "And that's where the trouble  
began. According to her, her master mistook Usagi for you and put her  
through some kind of trials. Naturally she couldn't handle it so the little  
girl instructed Jupiter and I to rescue and return with Sailor Mercury and  
Venus. I saved Mercury and then it took both of us to get Sailor Jupiter and  
Venus back. And now we've returned to find you and the outer senshi here.  
Haiku? Haiku are you listening to me?"  
  
In actuality, she isn't. Haiku had stopped listening ever since she heard  
that Usagi had been mistaken for herself. "What do you mean they mistook  
Usagi for me?"  
  
Mars doesn't know what to say. They both look at the girl who looks like  
Chibi-usa. "She called you the senshi of time..."  
  
Everything stops moving except for Haiku and the little girl. Haiku hears a  
voice inside her head. "YES, IT IS TRUE. I WAS SO ANXIOUS THAT I DIDN'T EVEN  
LISTEN TO HER ADVICE. THE SITUATION IS SO GRIM THAT I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO  
FIX IT, AND THUS MY GOOD SENSE WAS CLOUDED. NOW SEEING YOUR GLOW NEXT TO  
HER'S I REALIZE HOW WRONG I WAS."  
  
"What have you done to her? What have you done to Usagi!" Haiku cries out.  
  
"I EVEN, DO NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS HAPPENED. SHE HAS NOT DIED,  
YET SHE IS NOT ALIVE EITHER. I SENSE INSIDE OF HER A POWER TRYING TO AWAKEN.  
BUT EVERYTIME IT DOES I FEEL TIME BEGIN TO RIPPLE AND TEAR. AND THE ONLY  
CONCLUSION I CAN DRAW IS THAT THIS WAS MEANT TO HAPPEN, OR WAS A POSSIBILITY  
IN TIME TO HAPPEN. AND NOW, I BEG FOR YOUR HELP."  
  
"My help? What can I do?"  
  
"TIME IS BEING PULLED APART FROM ITS SEAMS. AS MORE TIME GOES BY, THE  
TIGHTER THE STRAIN WILL BECOME. IF YOU ARE INDEED THE SENSHI OF TIME YOU  
SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRAVEL BACK INTO TIME AND FIX IT. YOUR FRIEND IS DESTINED  
TO WAKE UP AGAIN, BUT YOU ARE ALSO DESTINED TO TRAVEL INTO THE PAST TO MAKE  
IT POSSIBLE FOR HER TO DO SO."  
  
"Then what do I have to do? How am I going to do it?"  
  
"THAT NOW, I AM UNSURE OF. THIS GIRL IS UNIQUE. SHE HAS WITHIN HERSELF A  
POWER. A POWER SHE HAS INHERITED IN HER COMING OF AGE. AN ANCIENT POWER  
WHICH CANNOT BE USED WITH THE AID OF ANY EXTERIOR TOOL. YOU MUST GO INTO  
THE PAST AND DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO ALLOW THAT POWER TO AWAKEN WITHIN  
HER NOW. I AM SURE YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOUR TASK HAS BEEN COMPLETED."  
  
"Fine. I'll do it. What do I have to do?"  
  
"THE MEDALLION ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM. IT IS YOURS. IT WILL ALLOW YOU  
TO TRAVEL FREELY THROUGH THE GATES OF TIME. IT IS THE KEY TO THIS PUZZLE."  
  
"Very well." Now time resumes and Haiku no longer feels his presence. Once  
again her future mother's rescue has been placed upon her shoulders. Already  
standing, she walks towards the pedestal on the far side of the room. As she  
reaches for the medallion Sailor Pluto speaks out.  
  
"Wait. Be careful. We don't know what that is!"  
  
"Don't worry, I do," Haiku replies. Her hand passes right through the clear  
yellow crystal that the medallion is encased in and she pulls it right out. None  
of the senshi say anything as she places the medallion over head and around  
her neck. She draws her sword. Both the medallion and the ginzuishou are lit  
up.  
  
Haiku closes her eyes as she is ripped from the timestream.  
  
***** 


	26. Episode 24: Chance Encounters

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 24 'Chance Encounters'  
  
"The Queen is ready to see you now," the young man says kindly. Haiku opens  
her eyes to see him bow. The Queen? Haiku thinks, I must be in another  
time. Am I back home? She quickly glances around the waiting room. She  
doesn't recognize it. No, this isn't Crystal Tokyo; I'm here to fix the  
past. I must be in the Moon Palace. But when? The servant is just about to  
step out the door when she stops him.  
  
"Excuse me, how... how old is the Queen's daughter now, if I may ask?"  
  
The young servant finds it an odd question but says nothing and answers all  
the same. "Why, about 15 Earth revolutions now. Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason, thanks for your help," she responds as he leaves. Okay, she  
thinks. Silver Millennium, before the negaverse invasion but after Usagi  
and Mamoru have left for the future. Does Usagi's hidden power have  
something to do with her past life during the Silver Millennium? I wonder  
who I've been mistaken as? She enters the room in front of her to find  
Queen Serenity writing at her desk. She doesn't look up. Haiku has never  
seen her before in her life but instantly recognizes her. "Your majesty,"  
she says as she bows.  
  
"Come on Yuki," Serenity says as she finishes up whatever she is writing.  
"You know you don't have to follow these formalities when we're alone....."  
She has only now looked up from her work. "Who are you? How did you get in  
here?"  
  
Haiku, who is still kneeling on the floor says nothing, but just stares at  
her ancient relative. She looks so much like Haiku's mother, and yet so  
different at the same time. Serenity says nothing. Haiku stands up and takes  
a couple of steps towards Serenity's desk. "Your majesty, I need to know;  
will the Princess inherit or awaken any kind of power within herself when  
she comes within a certain age or time?"  
  
"How do you know... the status of the princess is of no concern to you! Now  
who are you? If you don't answer me I'll call the guards and have them throw  
you in the dungeon."  
  
"Your majesty, do you really think your guards could stop a senshi?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Haiku begins to pace back and forth across the room. "How can I explain this  
to you and have you trust me but not reveal too much?" Haiku stops pacing.  
"She was right, I don't think I can." She begins pacing again. "I know," she  
says as she spins around, "I could show you..." she reaches into her pocket  
but then decides against it. "No, I can't do that. I'll just get straight to  
the point, I don't think you'll tell anyone." Haiku comes over and sits in  
the chair in front of Serenity's desk. "I know that you're the only one who  
knows this. Two years ago.... No, that's not right. Two years for me, not  
for you. I wonder why that is? Anyway, four years ago my mother's time  
period was taken over by a beyonder. At this point I returned to the future.  
Meanwhile Sailor Pluto sent my parents here while all of the other senshi  
were split up." Haiku pauses but Serenity doesn't have anything to say. "A  
year and a half later I returned to my mother's time. I gathered all of the  
senshi together and then when the time was right we made it possible, for a  
brief period in time, for my parents and Sailor Pluto to travel back from  
the Silver Millennium to their own time period. Is that enough?"  
  
"I... think so," Serenity takes a minute. "So according to you, you would be  
my ...granddaughter?"  
  
Haiku thinks it over. "Well, in a manner of speaking, I suppose it could be  
seen that way, or rather could have been seen that way."  
  
"What do you mean? You said it was your mother who came to meet me."  
  
"That may not even be right any more. I'm not sure who I am anymore. Back  
when I was Sailor Moon, that was true, but now I'm the Senshi of Time,  
Haiku. And that is why I am here."  
  
This is all quite a bit for Queen Serenity to take in, but after meeting the  
future reincarnation of her daughter it's not really that much of a  
surprise. "And now she is in trouble and needs to activate the powers she  
was supposed to inherit but cannot right?"  
  
"Well, it's a tad bit more complicated than that but that's essentially the  
situation."  
  
"It's ...quite a tale. I believe you, but do you have something physical you  
can show me as well. What you want to know isn't just any bit of knowledge  
floating about."  
  
Haiku pauses for a moment. "I guess I can show you this. Maybe I even should  
have started with it." Haiku draws her sword where it is on her back  
underneath her cloak. She holds it in front of her with the blade facing  
upwards, but what draws Queen Serenity's attention, as Haiku wishes it to,  
is the ginzuishou placed into the the hilt of the sword. There is no way  
that the energy emanating from it can be mistaken for anything else. Haiku  
closes her eyes and the symbol of the moon appears on her forehead. There is  
no longer any doubt. Haiku puts the sword away.  
  
"It is a wonder," Serenity says. "I have never seen the silver crystal so  
full of energy. But, as you may already know, the inherited power of the  
moon is even greater than that of the ancient ginzuishou. Although, I sense,  
that your power surpasses that of my own."  
  
"Yes, it has something to do with the sword. Now what is the secret to the  
power of the moon?"  
  
Serenity sighs. "The knowledge I'm about to give you is known only to the  
royal family of the moon. But I guess that since you are of the family it  
will be all right to tell you. The secret is this: Each of the moon family  
have within themselves the power of the moon. It can be activated at any  
time, but can only be controlled after the holder has matured in body to  
that of an adult. Although every member holds the power, it can only be  
activated by one special talisman. This." Serenity holds up a medallion that  
is hanging around her neck. "Normally the power is in a dormant state. This  
talisman causes it to become active, leaving it the bearer's responsibility  
to control it. It takes many many years to master the power but I feel that  
you are not going to have that kind of time."  
  
"May I see the medallion your Majesty?"  
  
Serenity pauses for a moment before unclipping the neckband. "I trust you.  
Here." Haiku takes the medallion and places it on the table in front of her.  
She then takes the medallion that she received in the caverns of Shmite off  
from around her neck, and holds it in one hand, as she takes up Serenity's  
and holds it in her other hand, careful to not allow them to touch. She  
studies both of them, turning them about in her hands. On both sides of the  
medallions, there is the same crescent moon. Haiku holds them both out for  
Serenity to see.  
  
"Oh my. I guess I don't have to worry about you taking mine with you after  
all. But how is it that the talisman has not already awoken the power within  
yourself?" she asks as Haiku returns the medallion to her.  
  
"Actually, I think it has. But the sword and the ginzuishou are controlling  
it. The power has allowed me to travel back in time out of necessity, in  
order to meet you."  
  
"Then you had what you needed all along, even without having to come to see  
me."  
  
"No, it is not that simple. I am here to set events which are your future  
and my past, not to learn from things which have already happened. I'm going  
to need to ask for your help."  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
"Yes, your majesty. I'm going to have to ask you to teach your daughter how  
to control her inherited power before she comes of age."  
  
"But can it not wait until she is old enough? What if she cannot control  
it?!"  
  
"Don't worry, she'll be fine. As I said, it is not my mission here to change  
my past, but to set it straight. This is something that you and your  
daughter are destined to do. It is not the undertaking of this which could  
cause harm to your daughter but not doing it instead. Do you understand?"  
  
How easily they had switched roles. To a warrior, her master is the queen.  
But to the queen, her master is she who controls time. Strange abnormalities  
are born from necessity. "Yes, I understand."  
  
Haiku places her hand upon Serenity's. Now it is time only for formality.  
"Don't worry, if anything bad is to happen to your daughter I will be able  
to return to set things right again."  
  
"Yes, of course you will." Queen Serenity stands up and Haiku quickly  
follows suit. "And you must hurry and be on your way. Good luck to you,  
Haiku my granddaughter."  
  
"And to you, grandmother." Haiku closes her eyes and tries to relax as she  
draws her sword and is once again ripped from the timestream.  
  
**********  
  
Haiku could feel her essence traveling through time and space at  
unimaginable speeds. Unexpectedly, it was interrupted a little early. She  
felt panic trying to take over her mind as she was involuntarily ripped from  
the timeline before she had reached her final destination.  
  
She opened her eyes to stare at the gray rock beneath her, and all around  
her. She sensed that she had returned to the correct time, but to the wrong  
place. She raised her head to see the starry void of space and right in the  
middle of it, the molded planet that at one time was the earth.  
  
Haiku finally realized that she was standing on the moon. Had it been remade  
as well, or did it still circle the earth? But she already knew the answer.  
The moon was somewhat the same, but also different. She slowly turned  
around, already aware of what she would see.  
  
What was with this guy and cone shaped mountains? Standing in front of her  
was a miniature Command Point. It was only a short distance away, so she  
began to walk towards it. All of a sudden a light flashed out from the top  
of it to run around on the ground and to come to a stop casting a pillar of  
light upon herself. Although she was right in the enemy's nest, she just  
relaxed and allowed the light to transport her into the Command Point. It  
was probably the only way she would be able to get inside.  
  
A second later she was standing inside a room that was completely black. She  
couldn't even see her hand when she held it in front of her face. 'Time for  
a light show,' she smiled. Now that she was no longer on earth her powers  
were no longer affected by its magic field grid. (The magic field was what  
made it so that the senshi couldn't use their old powers, and only the new  
eternal power. The eternal power was fueled by the strands of magic which  
were also known as the magic grid.) "Moon Crisis, make up!"  
  
The cavern was illuminated with light as Haiku transformed. Although the  
walls were a void from which no light returned the floor was still  
illuminated. Haiku's power was now coming from the ginzuishou, as well as  
her moon inherited power which was being focused by the medallion and the  
sword. (which were now being kept nice and safe inside the sub-space pocket  
where all of the rest of her clothing and equipment disappeared to.  
"Beyonder," she shouted, "Show yourself!" She purposely transformed into  
Sailor Moon rather than the transformation she had been given before leaving  
the future.  
  
Evil laughter. Haiku was suddenly surrounded with evil laughter. As it grew  
louder, a dim ambient light appeared that slowly grew lighter. The laughter  
died away. As soon as it stopped so did the growing light, (which was  
probably about as bright as twilight), and then all of a sudden Haiku found  
herself surrounded by a bright light.  
  
"AS YOU WISH." Suddenly everything went black, and then just as quick as it  
went dark, it lit back up again the way it had been before. The only  
difference now was that the new figure which was also illuminated by a  
pillar of bright light. Lying in its area was a gigantic dragon. (Giant  
compared to a human but actually normal size for an actual dragon). Its head  
alone was about two feet wide. Haiku estimated that at its full height it  
would be at least 50 feet tall. Although it was inhabited by her enemy,  
Haiku couldn't deny that this silver-scaled beast was magnificent. She  
hadn't intended on it but she gave a slight gasp as soon as she saw it.  
  
"YES, IT IS A MAGNIFICENT CREATURE. THE DRAGON, AS YOU CALL IT."  
  
"How are you called?" Haiku asked.  
  
"YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO CALL ME BY MY TRUE NAME." The dragon opened its eyes  
and raised its head. Now instead of the voice coming from everywhere, the  
dragon spoke. "BUT YOU MAY WORSHIP ME AS ACHEMYDIES."  
  
"You are not a god." Haiku stated.  
  
"THAT IS A MATTER OF VIEWPOINT." Achemydies fell silent for a moment. "DID  
YOU KNOW THAT THIS SYSTEM WAS ORIGINALLY INHABITED BY DRAGONS?"  
  
"Why should I believe anything you say?"  
  
Achemydies ignored her and continued. "MY KIND EXISTED THEN, BUT WE DID NOT  
INHABIT THIS RURAL AREA OF THE UNIVERSE. THE DRAGONS WERE BORN FROM SOL, AND  
INHABITED THE NINE PLANETS. THE DRAGONS CREATED MAGIC IN THIS SYSTEM, AND  
THEY ALSO ENABLED LIFE. IT WAS THEY WHO SPARKED THE EVOLUTION OF YOUR KIND.  
IT WAS ALSO THEY WHO GRANTED EACH PLANET A GUARDIAN, AND WHO CREATED A  
MULTITUDE OF MAGIC TALISMANS, MOST OF WHICH NO LONGER EXIST."  
  
"So where are the dragons now?"  
  
"THEY LEFT MAN TO CHOOSE HIS OWN DESTINY. THEY MAY EVEN HAVE FORESEEN THE  
COLLISION OF UNIVERSES WHICH RESULTED IN THE ELIMINATION OF MAGIC AND LIFE  
FROM ALL OF THE NINE PLANETS BUT ONE. NOW, WERE THEY NOT GODS?"  
  
"Perhaps, but you are not of those dragons."  
  
"NO; MY KIND IS GREATER THAN THOSE DRAGONS!"  
  
"That still doesn't give you the right to do what you have done here. Leave  
us!"  
  
"I AM A GOD! COWER BEFORE ME!"  
  
"Never. You will not get away with what you have done to the timeline. I'm  
pretty soldier Sailor Moon, and in the name of the future moon, I'll punish  
you!"  
  
"YOU ARE NO LONGER THE SENSHI OF THE MOON, TIMETRAVELER. DO NOT LIE TO ME; I  
KNOW WHAT YOU ARE."  
  
"You do?" Haiku asked. "Maybe you can enlighten me." Haiku raised her hands  
and the ginzuishou appeared between them.  
  
"YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE IN MY MAKINGS AGAIN!" Achemydies rose to his full  
dragon-height of 50+ feet. As dark energy shot from his mouth the ginzuishou  
erected a barrier around Haiku. As the two energies met there was a sudden  
explosion of light, but both parties held up their ends as the momentary  
flash faded away. The black ceiling changed so that it was now showing the  
view outside of the Command Point. Haiku could see the earth a little to the  
side of her opponent. "I WILL CRUSH YOU!" The intensity of Achemydies'  
attack increased exponentially, but Haiku held on. There was no way that she  
could win this battle.  
  
Fortunately she saw the one thing Achemydies had never considered that she  
had been searching for -a weakness. All she had to do now was escape.  
Achemydies increased his attack again and she fell to her knees. Taking the  
ginzuishou in one hand she used used the other to reach into her sub-space  
pocket and pull out her sword. She then placed the ginzuishou back into the  
hilt of the sword. A violent burst of energy exploded from the sword. The  
Command Point shattered, revealing the actual exterior and landscape of the  
moon. It also caused the conflicting energies to dissipate. "HOW DARE YOU  
DESTROY MY TOWER! I WILL ERASE YOU!" Achemydies was just about to let loose  
more dark energy when Haiku swung the sword up above her head.  
  
"You have no right! I will deal with you later!" Haiku cried as she allowed  
herself to be sucked into the timestream.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO...."  
  
*****  
  
It has been a few hours since Haiku's departure. Sailor Venus is up and  
about once more, and Sailor Mercury is resting more comfortably now that  
Sailor Saturn has healed her arm closed rather than leaving it burned shut.  
Unfortunately, Saturn cannot replace the arm itself. Now all of the inner  
senshi, as well as Saturn are resting on the floor around Usagi. Sailor  
Uranus and Neptune are anxious but only Uranus shows it in her constant  
observations of the room. Sailor Neptune has tried to calm her down but it  
hasn't worked. Sailor Pluto stands against one of the walls. She is used to  
waiting. Ever since they arrived she has been watching the ripples in time,  
and has watched them gradually worsen. She is the only one who can see them  
clearly, but by now they are so bad that the other senshi have begun to see  
their effects on the physical world.  
  
Suddenly the intensity of the ripples increases tenfold and it seems to  
Sailor Pluto that everything is being ripped apart. To the others it's like  
an earthquake. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it stops. Now there are  
no ripples at all. It's as if they had never been there in the first place.  
  
Starting as a few sparkles in the air, Haiku slowly fades back into view,  
where she had been standing before, now as Sailor Moon. No one speaks, but  
Mars and Mercury move away from Usagi as Haiku approaches them. Haiku kneels  
next to Usagi, and takes off the medallion. She then carefully slips the  
chain around Usagi's neck. She takes a step back and the medallion begins to  
glow. Haiku's sailor fuku disappears and is replaced by her cloak and tunic.  
The other senshi follow suit. As the glow gets brighter and brighter, its  
original shape becomes less and less identifiable. It melts and flows into  
Usagi's broken broach and in a flash, it is repaired. The senshi simply know  
what to do next. As they did at one time before, they must activate Usagi's  
eternal power.  
  
"Mercury Eternal Power,"  
"Mars Eternal Power,"  
"Jupiter Eternal Power,"  
"Venus Eternal Power,"  
"Uranus Eternal Planet Power,"  
"Neptune Eternal Planet Power,"  
"Pluto Eternal Planet Power,"  
"Saturn Eternal...."  
  
Each of the senshi's energy flows into the broach, and as the last of it is  
absorbed, Usagi transforms into Eternal Sailor Moon. Her eyes slowly open as  
she sits up. She smiles. "Thank you everyone." "Would you please direct me  
to that good-intentioned old man so I can turn him into moondust?!"  
  
end eps. 24  
  
***** 


	27. Episode 25: Unfinished Business

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 25 'Unfinished Business'  
  
A few hours after Usagi had awoken, everything had been explained -well,  
almost. All Haiku would say was that she had done some things in the past  
which were necessary to the timeline and had awoken the powers which Usagi  
inherited as the heir to the throne of the moon. It was around this point,  
when everyone had told their story that Usagi brought up the question. "By  
the way, WHERE IS MAMORU?!!!" Everyone looked at everyone else. Everyone  
that is, except for Minako. "Minako.... where is Mamoru?!"  
  
"Well, he's probably still in the arctic region. He got away but I wasn't  
able to. And... he's been paralyzed from the waist down. We can heal that  
kind of stuff with magic right?"  
  
"Oh my," Usagi gasped. "We have to go help him," she exclaimed, leaping to  
her feet.  
  
"There will be plenty of time for that when the time comes," Haiku said.  
Although it pained her to put aside her father, her courage was born from  
necessity.  
  
"What do you mean," Usagi cried. "What could be more important than saving  
Mamoru?"  
  
"Victory," Haruka answered. "Haiku, what do you know?"  
  
"Although the power of the beyonder appears to be infinite, I now believe  
that it is not," Haiku said.  
  
"What do you mean?" Setsuna asked.  
  
"Before I was able to return to this time, he interfered with my travel and  
drew me to his base of operations. That was his first mistake. Now we know  
that his base of operations is on the moon. Then, while I was fighting him I  
saw something very crucial. My theory, is that when he recreated the world,  
he had to cast much of himself and his energy into the reshaping of the  
planet. His infinite amount of power is now being used to generate the  
miracle of life. I saw, that when he powered up to attack me, he drew power  
from the planet, or more specifically, the Command Points. They all lit up  
just before he attacked. So I'm guessing that if we were to destroy all of  
the Command Points the link to most of his power would be cut off."  
  
"But then there would be nothing to sustain the life on the planet," Ami  
said. "The Command Points are what generate and regulate the atmosphere."  
  
"I know," Haiku replied. "That's why as soon as all of the Command Points  
are destroyed we will have to confront the beyonder and defeat him quickly  
so that we can restore the planet."  
  
"I don't think I'm going to like the next part of this plan: how are we  
going to pull it off?" Rei asked.  
  
"I don't like it either, but I can only see one way for this plan to work.  
Six of you will have to stay here on the planet and simultaneously destroy  
the Command Points. Meanwhile the rest of us will use the pedestal I used  
during the gathering to transport to the moon and confront the beyonder.  
Once there Sailor Moon will be able to completely activate her inherited  
power because of the lack of the magic grid." Haiku stopped. "Have I missed  
anything?"  
  
"But who will be the ones to stay behind?" Hotaru asked quietly. For a  
moment no one moved. Then Rei stepped forward.  
  
"The four of us will stay here," she said pointing to herself and the other  
inner senshi.  
  
"As will we," Haruka answered indicating Michiru and herself.  
  
"Guys, no!" Usagi cried out. "You can't leave me."  
  
"No Usagi," Minako said. "It's better this way. Then the two most powerful  
senshi will be there to protect you."  
  
"But guys, we don't know that. We all know the balance of power among us has  
changed." Usagi countered.  
  
"Actually," Setsuna said. "Since after the Command Points are destroyed and  
the magic grid has been shut down we will no longer have access to the  
eternal powers, that statement is untrue."  
  
Everyone expected another protest but it never came. Usagi lowered her head.  
"Very well."  
  
"Good," Haiku said. "Ami, do you think that my ship has been repaired by  
now?"  
  
Ami thought for a moment. "Certainly. I'm sure it must be fixed by now."  
  
"Good. Now here's what we're going to do: It is my suspicion that the  
beyonder can detect us whenever we use a sailor teleport so this is going to  
take a little longer than we might prefer. Therefore, only Hotaru and I will  
travel to the arctic region to heal Mamoru. Then without teleporting, the  
rest of you will have to travel to Dohilne to get my ship. Once there you'll  
come and pick me, Hotaru and Mamoru up, and then we will begin our plan to  
battle the creator. Any problems?" There were none. Although a few of the  
other senshi disagreed with some parts of the plan they kept their protests  
to themselves as they didn't have any better ideas. Haiku turned to the  
little girl. "What will you and your master do now?"  
  
"We will generate a lot of energy to hopefully mask your departure. From  
there we will be watching and will be sure to alert you if anything you need  
to know about comes up."  
  
"Thank you," Haiku said to her. She then looked up to the other senshi. "My  
friends, we are now no longer fighting to protect ourselves, or our world,  
but the preservation of our people and the future of our planet. By now you  
have all surely seen what each of us can do on our own, and I believe, -no,  
I know, that as a team, we can overcome any obstacle, even the one that  
stands before us now. Good luck everyone!"  
  
Hotaru closed her eyes and concentrated. A moment later Sailor Saturn stood  
in her place. Haiku drew her sword and copied almost the same type of power  
she had used to travel to the Moon Kingdom, only without the ability to  
travel through time. She and Saturn changed into light and then faded away.  
Before anyone else could say anything the little girl spoke.  
  
"With our power we can send you as far as the Command City if you would  
like." Sailor Moon nodded. The little girl touched the portal leading to the  
beginning of the caverns of Shmite with her hand. "There. Now it will take  
you to the entrance of the City." Without a word Usagi passed through the  
portal. The other senshi transformed and followed her.  
  
*****  
  
Haruka and Michiru stood in an alleyway across from one of the larger  
buildings located in the Command City of Afkzo. One could never be too  
cautious when watching for threats. Sailor Pluto had vanished once again but  
that was to be expected. Minako and Rei were keeping watch from the top of  
the building across the street while Makoto, Ami, and Usagi were meeting  
with some of the top officials of the city who had come into power after the  
Creator's defeat.  
  
Makoto, Usagi, and Ami were waiting in a meeting room on one of the upper  
floors of the building. Although the chairs were all extremely comfortable  
they were all too anxious to enjoy it. The people of the city had only been  
too happy to help the senshi. The senshi had already proven their worthiness  
with their victory at the Gathering "I don't care what you have to say  
Makoto, I'm not taking another ship. It's too dangerous for us!" Usagi  
exclaimed as the door opened and two men entered the room.  
  
"There isn't any other undetectable way to get there," Makoto answered.  
  
Before Usagi could respond Ami kicked her and looked towards the two men.  
They introduced themselves as the chief engineer and as a senator of the  
council of six. "And actually," the engineer started matter-of-factly, "you  
were speaking of taking a ship when we entered the room? Unfortunately,  
that's impossible now that the barrier has appeared."  
  
"A barrier?" Ami asked, "What barrier?"  
  
The man explained. "The information only just reached me. Apparently there  
is now a barrier surrounding the entire region which won't allow anything to  
leave or enter by the ocean. It only appeared in the last hour.  
  
"Damn it!" Makoto exclaimed as she slammed her fist down on the table. "I  
was afraid that something like this might happen."  
  
"Now settle down," the engineer said calmly. "Naturally we have another way  
of getting things in and out of the region in case of an emergency; and we  
might just have one that will work here."  
  
"Go on," Ami said.  
  
"Well, according to our sources the barrier is only about 30 feet tall so in  
theory one should be able to go overtop of it."  
  
"But the Command Points will shoot down anything that tries to fly," Ami  
said.  
  
"Yes, that definitely is a problem. The rocket will have to fly very low and  
very fast."  
  
"Rocket?!"  
  
"Why, of course. You would never have time to land anything without being  
destroyed by a Command Point. Our process is fairly simple. We just launch a  
rocket towards your destination and then you parachute out when you're over  
the target."  
  
"Sounds crazy to me," Usagi responded.  
  
"Sounds like a pretty good idea to me," Makoto said. "How soon can we  
leave?"  
  
"Whenever you are ready. Just tell us where you want to go."  
  
"We want to go to the island of Dohilne," Makoto said.  
  
A puzzled look appeared on the engineer's face. "I'm afraid that I've never  
heard of place called Dohilne. Does it go by any other name?"  
  
"No, not that I know of. Do you have a map of the world?"  
  
"Why of course," the man replied as he walked over to one of the walls and  
pressed a few buttons on a keypad. It turned out that they entire wall was  
actually a huge computer screen as a map appeared on it. Ami walked over to  
it and placed her finger at a place in the middle of the ocean. "Dohilne  
island is located right here in a string of five islands -or rather four  
now."  
  
"That's odd. I've never heard of them before." He shrugged his shoulders.  
"All right, we can send you to that point. Do you have the exact  
coordinates?"  
  
"Yes," Ami said as she stepped up to the keypad and entered the exact  
numbers.  
  
"Well, according to this there is is no land present there but who am I to  
argue? I can go over the process with you if you'd like," he offered.  
  
"Ami," Usagi said quickly, "you go over everything while Mako and I gather  
up everyone." And she was about to leave when the obvious hit her. "By the  
way, where exactly are we supposed to go to get on this rocket?"  
  
For the first time the senator actually spoke. "The rocket is located on the  
bottom floor of this building, underground. The launch location is located  
outside of the city itself in order to keep the rocket as close to the  
ground as possible."  
  
"Okay, we'll grab Rei and Mina first from the roof and then we'll meet you  
down there." Usagi decided.  
  
All of them exited the room and headed down the hallway. Usagi and Makoto  
entered one elevator to go up while Ami and the two men entered the other to  
go down.  
  
Ami leaned patiently against the side of the elevator as the senator pressed  
the button for the bottom floor of the building. They were so close, yet so  
far away at the same time. "That looks recent," the engineer said pointing  
towards Ami's missing arm. "What happened."  
  
Ami glanced down at what was no longer there. "I had a bad encounter with a  
bounty hunter in Kaipo. The shores of the region are covered with the  
Creator's soldiers." She stopped for a moment. "But I imagine that I'll find  
some way to replace my arm eventually. We're just in a little bit of trouble  
at the moment which is keeping me really busy."  
  
The engineer was about to say something when the senator spoke instead. "I'd  
say that you're actually in a lot of trouble right now. I don't think you'll  
need to worry about your arm any more."  
  
"Huh?" Ami watched as the man lifted up one of his arms as the hand changed  
into an axe. "Damn it!" The man's arm came down so quickly that she barely  
had time to dodge it. Before her eyes the man continued to change. His other  
hand changed into a claw and spikes grew out from his arms, legs, and chest.  
It was followed up with a couple of horns coming out of his head.  
  
"A mutant!" the engineer exclaimed.  
  
"I don't have time to transform!" Ami cried.  
  
"Exactly." The mutant answered evilly. "Prepare to die!"  
  
"I'd rather not," Ami cried as she swung up a kick towards the mutant's  
face. He easily blocked it but she was able to swing over and slam her hand  
against the buttons of the elevator which were close to their current floor.  
  
"No you don't," the mutant said when he saw what she was trying to do. He  
quickly brought his fist up into her chest and slammed her into the wall.  
Before she had a chance to do anything he also brought his hand around her  
neck and began to squeeze as he raised his arm with the axe on it. "Prepare  
to die."  
  
But unfortunately for the mutant, he had forgotten about the other elevator  
passenger and was quite surprised to find 1000 amps of electricity suddenly  
flowing through his body. Both of them were sent flying to the sides of the  
elevator and the mutant released his hold on Ami's neck. "Curse you," he  
said. "Now you'll both have to die."  
  
Fortunately at that moment the elevator door opened. As quickly as she could  
Ami used the magic threads to knock the mutant out of the elevator. The  
engineer dived to the control panel to close the doors. Fortunately the  
mutant was still recovering from the shock and was unable to get back up to  
the elevator.  
  
After closing the doors the engineer broke open a control panel as well. He  
then proceeded to rearrange the wires and some of the switches.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ami asked.  
  
"You pressed a whole bunch of buttons when you hit the panel. I'm just  
disabling the elevator's ability to stop at those floors or any other for  
that matter. This is going to be a one-way trip straight down." The elevator  
began to slowly move down again.  
  
"That's quite an effective tazer."  
  
"Yeah. If there's one thing us humans are good at it is making weapons to  
kill each other with."  
  
***  
  
Sailor Mars and Venus joined Usagi and Makoto without any trouble, although  
the two soldiers had apparently seen some trouble going on down at the  
ground. Usagi opted for her and Makoto to not transform due to the limited  
space in the elevator. They all impatiently waited for the elevator to reach  
the ground floor.  
  
When they finally reached the main floor the doors opened just in time for  
them to see Sailor Uranus come flying into the lobby from outside through  
the front windows. "Uranus!" Usagi cried as she ran out of the elevator.  
  
"Don't!" Uranus shouted. "Go get the ship. Neptune and I will watch your  
backs."  
  
"I won't leave you!" Usagi replied as two mutants came crashing through the  
windows into the building.  
  
"Soldiers, do as I ask," Uranus said to the other senshi. "World Shaking!"  
One of the mutants was blasted back.  
  
Makoto grabbed Usagi and pulled her back towards the elevator. "She's right  
Usagi. We have to go now. This is their way." Usagi gave a little bit of a  
struggle but she did know that Makoto was right. Meanwhile Sailor Mars and  
Venus were having some kind of silent discussion, and Makoto was not  
surprised when only Sailor Mars stepped back into the elevator. It was not  
until the elevator began to move that Usagi realized that one of her friends  
was missing.  
  
"Where's Sailor Venus?! Did she forget to get back in?"  
  
"No Usagi, she's going to stay to help Uranus and Neptune." Usagi said  
nothing. If she herself wasn't able to stay at least one of her friends was.  
The remainder of the elevator ride was in silence. After going down another  
five floors it finally reached the bottom. They exited the elevator to enter  
a corridor.  
  
"Jupiter Eternal, Unite!"  
  
Usagi was about to transform but Sailor Mars stopped her. The wings would  
get probably just get in the way. The corridor led to a giant room with the  
rocket in the middle of it. There were men and women rushing all over the  
place between the rocket and computer stations. Sailor Mercury was standing  
over by the rocket. She turned around as the other senshi came up to her.  
"Mercury," Sailor Mars exclaimed. "Is it ready? We need to leave now!"  
  
"The others are guarding our escape," Sailor Jupiter answered before Mercury  
could ask any questions.  
  
Sailor Mercury was about to speak when the head engineer came around. "Good.  
You're all here? Let's get you into the rocket. The coordinates have been  
programed in." He pointed towards a ladder which led up to a door in the  
rocket. It wasn't actually that big -just enough room for the engine and the  
sitting room. There wasn't even enough room inside to stand. Sailor Mercury  
changed back to Ami so that she'd be able to fit in a seat. She took a seat  
at the front, Usagi behind her, and the other two to either side. They had  
just gotten the seat belts done up when they heard an explosion followed by  
screaming.  
  
"Darn it!" Sailor Mars cursed. "Come on Mako, let's go," she said as she and  
Sailor Jupiter got out of their seats and jumped out of the rocket. The door  
closed after them. Usagi just stared forward.  
  
"Don't worry Usagi, they'll be all right."  
  
***  
  
Sailor Mars and Jupiter stood in front of the rocket to either side of the  
head engineer. "Just get the rocket out of here," Sailor Jupiter told him.  
"We'll give you the time." A couple of mutants dropped through the ceiling  
and were blasted away before they had a chance to touch the ground.  
  
"I'm beginning the launch process," the engineer told them. He pressed a  
button and the whole platform began to move down a side tunnel as the rocket  
began to angle upwards at the same time. It had just disappeared from view  
when a giant horde of mutants dropped into the chambre -and they just kept  
coming.  
  
"Come on you two, just blast as many as you can," the engineer said. "Then  
we'll get out of here and collapse the entire underground complex."  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
***  
  
"5 SECONDS UNTIL MAIN REACTOR ACTIVATION."  
  
"Is this really going to work Ami?" Usagi asked nervously.  
  
"If it doesn't it at least won't make any difference to us."  
  
"That doesn't help me any."  
  
"Sorry Usagi."  
  
"MAIN REACTOR ACTIVATED." A slight rumbling began. Then suddenly Usagi was  
thrown back against her seat as the rocket blasted up through a tunnel and  
out of the ground. "THIRTY SECONDS UNTIL DESTINATION ARRIVAL."  
  
"Usagi, when we reach Dohilne island your chair should automatically drop  
out of the ship and a parachute should go out, all right."  
  
Before Usagi could reply a warning alarm came on. "We're in trouble now. The  
Command Point is firing at us," Ami said.  
  
Usagi nearly jumped out of her seat when a beam of energy passed right  
through the seat where Sailor Jupiter would have been sitting. "Get us out  
of here Ami; that was too close!"  
  
"There's nothing I can do! The engine has been hit and we don't have enough  
momentum to carry us the rest of the journey."  
  
"What does that mean?!"  
  
"We're going down!"  
  
end eps. 25 


	28. Episode 26: Even More Unfinished Busines...

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 26 'Even More Unfinished Business'  
  
Usagi began to feel the rocket go down rather than forward. She wasn't sure  
whether she should be panicking or trusting in Ami's ability to get them out  
of the situation. Ami was frantically pressing buttons and pulling switches  
all over the place, trying desperately to find some way to get out of the  
predicament. "Ami!!! What should I do? What are we going to do?!"  
  
"Just hang on a moment Usagi, I'm going to find something. Actually I want  
you to-" Ami was suddenly cut off as both of them were thrown away from  
their seats. Fortunately they were both wearing seatbelts and didn't go  
anywhere. The rocket was now moving in the opposite direction -up and  
backwards. For a moment neither of them could speak from the shock.  
  
"Ami, what happened?" Usagi asked.  
  
Ami shook her head and regained her wits. "Just a moment." Ami flicked  
through various camera images around the ship until she came to the one she  
was looking for. The rear view. "Perfect! Just in time!" Ami exclaimed. "The  
Sparrow has hooked onto the back of the rocket and is now pulling us in the  
opposite direction."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Someone's flying Haiku's ship, and they saved us!"  
  
The sparrow turned around and flew back to Dohilne island where it had left  
from. As soon as it touched the ground Usagi tried to leap out of her  
seat... -but the seatbelt was still done up. So after fiddling with the belt  
buckle she leapt out of her seat and got out of the ship as fast as she  
possibly could. Ami did it carefully and was still out of the ship before  
Usagi. The pilot of the Sparrow had also gotten out.  
  
"Prof. Rinkvle! Your timing is perfect!" Ami exclaimed. "Did you have any  
trouble with the repairs?"  
  
"It's good to see you too Ami," Prof. Rinkvle replied. "The repairs started  
off slow, but once it was started it all came together. The new shields that  
block the Command Points' attacks work perfectly. I saw the rocket heading  
this way and you're just lucky that I got your signal in time to fly out  
there and help you. Now, where are all of your friends? Do you need the ship  
now?"  
  
"That's exactly why we're here. We need the ship in order to complete our  
plan against the beyonder. Unfortunately we were forced to leave most of our  
friends back in Afkzo."  
  
"Well you can tell me all about it on the way. Hurry up and get inside."  
  
Ami and Prof. Rinkvle spoke of various things while they climbed aboard the  
ship. Usagi just followed behind.(Silently, for a change! Guess she's still  
in shock) Ami and Rinkvle sat in the two front cockpit seats while Usagi sat  
right behind. Ami took the controls and took off. "Where are you going?  
Rinkvle asked. "I thought you said that your friends were in Afkzo."  
  
"They are. But Haiku went to the arctic region and we're going to need her  
help to get the others out of trouble. I just hope that they can stay in the  
fight long enough for us to return."  
  
*****  
  
Two robed figures moved silently through the alleys of the city. Although it  
was daytime, a dark cloud hovered over the city creating the illusion of an  
eternal night.  
  
It was at least a day since Haiku and Hotaru had arrived in the Command City  
of the Arctic region. Haiku had spent the time setting various signals,  
encouraging the occurrence of unfortunate incidents, spreading rumors with a  
wide variety of accuracy, etc. Hotaru just followed silently. At times Haiku  
nearly forget that she was there or had to stop and look around in order to  
find her.  
  
At this particular moment Haiku was slipping through the side entrance of a  
tavern and once again Hotaru silently followed. The two of them sat down at  
a table near the back. "The other senshi are in trouble," Hotaru said  
silently.  
  
"I don't doubt the truth of your words," Haiku replied. "But there is  
nothing we can do about it at the moment. We must all play our parts."  
  
A roughly dressed man sat down on the other side of the table they were  
sitting at with his back pointed towards the rest of the room. "Don't make  
any quick or unwise movements," he said. "I have twenty men with fifty guns  
pointed at this table."  
  
Haiku was unaffected by his threat. "And if you, my friend, make any sudden  
movements, by friend here will kill you and all of the people in this room  
in a second with her mind."  
  
This was risky business. With all of the things that he had seen, he wasn't  
sure whether she was telling the truth or not. Haiku herself wasn't sure  
either. "Ah, let's get down to business," he said. "What do you want?"  
  
"I'm looking for a man," Haiku said.  
  
"Any...particular...man?" the man asked acting uninterested.  
  
"Yes; an aquantance of mine. I believe he passed through these parts  
recently."  
  
"There are many people who have 'passed' through here recently. What can you  
tell me about him?"  
  
"I happen to know that he has recently broken his back and that he likes to  
wear a black tuxedo and a cape."  
  
The man's eyes flickered a tiny bit of interest. But only for a  
split-second. "That's not a whole lot of information to go on."  
  
Haiku had had enough. "Can you help me or not?! I don't have time to play  
your games. If you can't help me get out of here now before I kill you  
myself!" When the man didn't give an immediate answer Haiku stood up from  
the table while making a noticeable amount of noise and left the bar through  
the door that they had come through. Hotaru left silently.  
  
After they were well out of hearing range from the tavern Hotaru voiced her  
thoughts. "What are you doing Haiku? How many meetings are you going to  
close like that? He might have known where Mamoru is."  
  
"Maybe so; but he didn't have any intention of helping us."  
  
"Then how long is this round-about strategy of yours going to take?"  
  
"Can't you read me?"  
  
"No.... if I could I wouldn't be asking you."  
  
"Well, I think my search is done," Haiku replied. Then to no one in  
particular she called out, "Okay, you can come out now."  
  
Hotaru was about to continue to inquire into what Haiku was doing when a  
figure stepped out from behind a garbage dumpster. Two more appeared behind  
him and another two dropped behind from above. The one in the front spoke.  
"I believe, that we have some common goals."  
  
"It's about time you guys showed up. You're a little on the slow side."  
  
"Complications. Much has happened in the past few days. Come, follow me."  
  
***  
  
The lift slowly trudged its way down the deep, dark chute. The walls were of  
dirt and stone, held in place by various pieces of metal and wood.  
"Electronic elevators can be tracked by the Command City. This way,  
everything is mechanical so they have no way of knowing that this lift is  
here," the man said.  
  
Not a word had been spoken as the man and the other fighters had led them to  
an abandoned building and to a mechanical lift in the basement. All but one  
of the masked fighters had remained in the city. "Who are you?" Haiku asked.  
  
"My name is Donah," the man said as he pulled back the hood of his robe. He  
was middle-aged with his hair just starting to gray. "But that is the  
question I should be asking you."  
  
"My name is Haiku."  
  
"Hotaru."  
  
"Ah, the gatherer you are. Yes, we know about you."  
  
"Do you have my friend?"  
  
Donah's light complex turned serious. "Yes, although he is still in bad  
shape. Somehow his body has managed to basically heal his major wound's but  
he is still unconscious and," the man paused for a second, "I believe that  
his back is broken. If he wakes up he'll be paralyzed from the waist down at  
the least."  
  
"Yes, we know," Haiku answered. "That is why we're here."  
  
Donah was about to say more when the lift reached the bottom. Donah led,  
followed by Haiku and Hotaru, and closed with the masked warrior. "The  
encampment is not too far away from the city itself. That is why it has  
still not been detected. It is below the range of the city's geographic  
sensors. We have been fortunate."  
  
"No," Haiku said. "You've been lucky. The Creator knows that you are here.  
It just chooses to do nothing. You're not a major inconvenience. And  
besides, the Creators love chaos. And there's nothing chaotic about a city  
that runs smoothly in political agreement."  
  
"That is probably the truth but still not something that would be well to be  
known. The hope that we are safe here is all that some of the people at the  
encampment are clinging to."  
  
"Ignorance only leads to disaster in the end."  
  
"And my dear Haiku, is there nothing that you are ignorant of?"  
To this, Haiku had no answer.  
  
***  
  
Hotaru lifted her arms from the still form of Tuxedo Kamen. "How is he?"  
Haiku asked impatiently.  
  
"Well, he seems to have some kind of natural healing ability which has  
pretty much sealed up all of his exterior wounds. Unfortunately he has still  
lost a lot of blood, and there's also the fact that his spinal cord has been  
damaged."  
  
"Can you fix it?"  
  
"Yes, I believe I can."  
  
Donah was a little surprised, although he knew that he shouldn't have been.  
It seemed that anything was possible now.  
  
"So just sit yourself down Haiku. I don't know how long this is going to  
take."  
  
"Fine." Haiku took a seat as Hotaru set to her work. It had barely been a  
minute when she turned to Donah. "Ummm, is it just me or is getting a little  
warm in here?"  
  
"Now that you mention it something does feel wrong." Donah walked over to a  
wall panel and switched on a screen. He flicked through a few views of the  
underground and then of the snow plains above ground before settling on a  
view of the ground right above their position. A dark red light was  
emanating from the area. "Oh dear." Donah zoomed out a bit more, the  
camera's position being on a mountain a couple kilometres away and now saw  
that the red light was coming from the tower in the Command City. "Oh no,  
it's preparing to fire. This is just how the city looked before they  
destroyed it in a matter of seconds.  
  
Haiku was on her feet now. "How far underground are we? Do you know how deep  
the blast goes?"  
  
"The blast will only affect the first few meters of ground. The problem is  
that it will probably create a blastwave which will collapse all of the  
caves."  
  
"How many people?" Haiku asked.  
  
"There are hundreds down here at least. Most of the caves are in the  
targeted range. I'm sounding the alarm now."  
  
"You go as well," Haiku said to him. "Get out of the blast radius."  
  
"But what about you?" Donah asked. "How will you get out."  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be able to escape. But you won't unless you get out of  
here ASAP!"  
  
Donah struggled with his conscious for a moment. "All...right. I'll go. You  
three take care of yourselves."  
  
"Don't worry," Haiku called to him as he ran away. "The final salvation is  
near. Just try to stay alive."  
  
Haiku watched the screen for a moment and then looked at Hotaru. There was  
no sign that she would be finished soon. She returned her sight to the  
screen. The red was lightening up. Suddenly there was a flash of light as  
the beam of energy traveled down the red light and slammed into the ground.  
A moment later Haiku began to feel the ground shaking. Time for business.  
First she walked over to where Hotaru and Mamoru were lying and sitting. She  
drew her sword with the ginzuishou embedded in its hilt and held it over her  
head. "Time Crisis!" she shouted.  
  
Although she didn't feel pain, she did feel an odd experience as two wings  
burst from her back. They were the ones from her transformation, only  
without the fuku. The ginzuishou continued to put a barrier around all three  
of them just as chunks of the ceiling began to fall. "Come on Hotaru, we  
don't have much time. I'd rather not get completely buried beneath the  
Earth." More pieces of rock fell from the ceiling and some parts of the  
cavern collapsed completely.  
  
Hotaru opened her eyes to find Haiku holding up her sword and standing above  
her. Hotaru needed no prompting as she stood up and shifted into Sailor  
Saturn. Swiftly she picked up Mamoru and prepared for flight. Haiku called  
out, "Moon Cosmic Power!" and a beam of light burst from the tip of the  
sword and traveled upwards, creating a passage through the earth which  
hopefully led all the way to the surface. With a combination of her wings  
and magic she flew upwards, followed closely by Sailor Saturn.  
  
The sides of the tunnel sped past them as the light of the sky became closer  
and closer. Suddenly they rocketed out of the hole and just hovered in the  
air, looking towards the Command City. Haiku turned around to find her ship  
hovering in the air behind them. "Perfect timing." Unfortunately the red  
light was already being flashed onto the ship and could fire at any moment.  
  
"Haiku!" Sailor Saturn said as her friend turned to face her. "Here, take  
Mamoru." Haiku did not protest. Sailor Saturn flew up in front of the ship  
just in time. "SILENT BLOCK!" The barrier was formed just as the tower  
fired. Haiku didn't waste any time in getting herself and Mamoru through a  
new hatch on the bottom of the ship. Meanwhile the energy blast only lasted  
for a few seconds and except for falling back a little Sailor Saturn was  
able to hold it away. Before the tower could recharge and fire again she  
pointed her glaive towards the top of the tower. "Silent Destruction," she  
said as the top of the tower exploded. The red light disappeared and she  
followed Haiku through the hatch. The ship turned and flew away, headed  
towards Kaipo, the plains region.  
  
Inside the ship Usagi was fussing over Tuxedo Kamen at the seats in the back  
of the ship. He was finally just regaining consciousness. "Hey, I can move  
my legs now," he said as he changed back into Mamoru.  
  
"Don't worry, my ki-prince," Sailor Saturn said as she entered the  
compartment. "Although I was unable to repair most of your injuries I was  
able to repair your spinal cord."  
  
"Wow Hotaru, I didn't know you were able to do something as great as that!"  
Usagi exclaimed while leaping up to give her friend a hug. Although she  
still quickly returned to Mamoru. "Don't worry Mamoru, I can heal up the  
rest with this medallion..."  
  
Haiku sat in the front of the ship with Ami and Prof. Rinkvle. She had  
allowed the wings to disappear. "Ami, what's going on? Where is everyone  
else?"  
  
"We were ambushed in the Command City of Afkzo," Ami said as she fiddled  
with a few more controls. "There was a shield preventing anything from  
departing by sea so we had to use a rocket to get to Dohilne. Unfortunately  
at various places we were forced to leave the others behind in order for the  
two of us to escape. I just hope that we're not too late to return to help  
them."  
  
"I'm hoping that they'll already be helped by the time we get there," Haiku  
replied.  
  
end eps. 26 


	29. Episode 27: Arcana

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 27 'Arcana'  
  
Usagi began to feel the rocket go down rather than forward. She wasn't sure  
whether she should be panicking or trusting in Ami's ability to get them out  
of the situation. Ami was frantically pressing buttons and pulling switches  
all over the place, trying desperately to find some way to get out of the  
predicament. "Ami!!! What should I do? What are we going to do?!"  
  
"Just hang on a moment Usagi, I'm going to find something. Actually I want  
you to-" Ami was suddenly cut off as both of them were thrown away from  
their seats. Fortunately they were both wearing seatbelts and didn't go  
anywhere. The rocket was now moving in the opposite direction -up and  
backwards. For a moment neither of them could speak from the shock.  
  
"Ami, what happened?" Usagi asked.  
  
Ami shook her head and regained her wits. "Just a moment." Ami flicked  
through various camera images around the ship until she came to the one she  
was looking for. The rear view. "Perfect! Just in time!" Ami exclaimed. "The  
Sparrow has hooked onto the back of the rocket and is now pulling us in the  
opposite direction."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Someone's flying Haiku's ship, and they saved us!"  
  
The sparrow turned around and flew back to Dohilne island where it had left  
from. As soon as it touched the ground Usagi tried to leap out of her  
seat... -but the seatbelt was still done up. So after fiddling with the belt  
buckle she leapt out of her seat and got out of the ship as fast as she  
possibly could. Ami did it carefully and was still out of the ship before  
Usagi. The pilot of the Sparrow had also gotten out.  
  
"Prof. Rinkvle! Your timing is perfect!" Ami exclaimed. "Did you have any  
trouble with the repairs?"  
  
"It's good to see you too Ami," Prof. Rinkvle replied. "The repairs started  
off slow, but once it was started it all came together. The new shields that  
block the Command Points' attacks work perfectly. I saw the rocket heading  
this way and you're just lucky that I got your signal in time to fly out  
there and help you. Now, where are all of your friends? Do you need the ship  
now?"  
  
"That's exactly why we're here. We need the ship in order to complete our  
plan against the beyonder. Unfortunately we were forced to leave most of our  
friends back in Afkzo."  
  
"Well you can tell me all about it on the way. Hurry up and get inside."  
  
Ami and Prof. Rinkvle spoke of various things while they climbed aboard the  
ship. Usagi just followed behind.(Silently, for a change! Guess she's still  
in shock) Ami and Rinkvle sat in the two front cockpit seats while Usagi sat  
right behind. Ami took the controls and took off. "Where are you going?  
Rinkvle asked. "I thought you said that your friends were in Afkzo."  
  
"They are. But Haiku went to the arctic region and we're going to need her  
help to get the others out of trouble. I just hope that they can stay in the  
fight long enough for us to return."  
  
*****  
  
Two robed figures moved silently through the alleys of the city. Although it  
was daytime, a dark cloud hovered over the city creating the illusion of an  
eternal night.  
  
It was at least a day since Haiku and Hotaru had arrived in the Command City  
of the Arctic region. Haiku had spent the time setting various signals,  
encouraging the occurrence of unfortunate incidents, spreading rumors with a  
wide variety of accuracy, etc. Hotaru just followed silently. At times Haiku  
nearly forget that she was there or had to stop and look around in order to  
find her.  
  
At this particular moment Haiku was slipping through the side entrance of a  
tavern and once again Hotaru silently followed. The two of them sat down at  
a table near the back. "The other senshi are in trouble," Hotaru said  
silently.  
  
"I don't doubt the truth of your words," Haiku replied. "But there is  
nothing we can do about it at the moment. We must all play our parts."  
  
A roughly dressed man sat down on the other side of the table they were  
sitting at with his back pointed towards the rest of the room. "Don't make  
any quick or unwise movements," he said. "I have twenty men with fifty guns  
pointed at this table."  
  
Haiku was unaffected by his threat. "And if you, my friend, make any sudden  
movements, by friend here will kill you and all of the people in this room  
in a second with her mind."  
  
This was risky business. With all of the things that he had seen, he wasn't  
sure whether she was telling the truth or not. Haiku herself wasn't sure  
either. "Ah, let's get down to business," he said. "What do you want?"  
  
"I'm looking for a man," Haiku said.  
  
"Any...particular...man?" the man asked acting uninterested.  
  
"Yes; an aquantance of mine. I believe he passed through these parts  
recently."  
  
"There are many people who have 'passed' through here recently. What can you  
tell me about him?"  
  
"I happen to know that he has recently broken his back and that he likes to  
wear a black tuxedo and a cape."  
  
The man's eyes flickered a tiny bit of interest. But only for a  
split-second. "That's not a whole lot of information to go on."  
  
Haiku had had enough. "Can you help me or not?! I don't have time to play  
your games. If you can't help me get out of here now before I kill you  
myself!" When the man didn't give an immediate answer Haiku stood up from  
the table while making a noticeable amount of noise and left the bar through  
the door that they had come through. Hotaru left silently.  
  
After they were well out of hearing range from the tavern Hotaru voiced her  
thoughts. "What are you doing Haiku? How many meetings are you going to  
close like that? He might have known where Mamoru is."  
  
"Maybe so; but he didn't have any intention of helping us."  
  
"Then how long is this round-about strategy of yours going to take?"  
  
"Can't you read me?"  
  
"No.... if I could I wouldn't be asking you."  
  
"Well, I think my search is done," Haiku replied. Then to no one in  
particular she called out, "Okay, you can come out now."  
  
Hotaru was about to continue to inquire into what Haiku was doing when a  
figure stepped out from behind a garbage dumpster. Two more appeared behind  
him and another two dropped behind from above. The one in the front spoke.  
"I believe, that we have some common goals."  
  
"It's about time you guys showed up. You're a little on the slow side."  
  
"Complications. Much has happened in the past few days. Come, follow me."  
  
***  
  
The lift slowly trudged its way down the deep, dark chute. The walls were of  
dirt and stone, held in place by various pieces of metal and wood.  
"Electronic elevators can be tracked by the Command City. This way,  
everything is mechanical so they have no way of knowing that this lift is  
here," the man said.  
  
Not a word had been spoken as the man and the other fighters had led them to  
an abandoned building and to a mechanical lift in the basement. All but one  
of the masked fighters had remained in the city. "Who are you?" Haiku asked.  
  
"My name is Donah," the man said as he pulled back the hood of his robe. He  
was middle-aged with his hair just starting to gray. "But that is the  
question I should be asking you."  
  
"My name is Haiku."  
  
"Hotaru."  
  
"Ah, the gatherer you are. Yes, we know about you."  
  
"Do you have my friend?"  
  
Donah's light complex turned serious. "Yes, although he is still in bad  
shape. Somehow his body has managed to basically heal his major wound's but  
he is still unconscious and," the man paused for a second, "I believe that  
his back is broken. If he wakes up he'll be paralyzed from the waist down at  
the least."  
  
"Yes, we know," Haiku answered. "That is why we're here."  
  
Donah was about to say more when the lift reached the bottom. Donah led,  
followed by Haiku and Hotaru, and closed with the masked warrior. "The  
encampment is not too far away from the city itself. That is why it has  
still not been detected. It is below the range of the city's geographic  
sensors. We have been fortunate."  
  
"No," Haiku said. "You've been lucky. The Creator knows that you are here.  
It just chooses to do nothing. You're not a major inconvenience. And  
besides, the Creators love chaos. And there's nothing chaotic about a city  
that runs smoothly in political agreement."  
  
"That is probably the truth but still not something that would be well to be  
known. The hope that we are safe here is all that some of the people at the  
encampment are clinging to."  
  
"Ignorance only leads to disaster in the end."  
  
"And my dear Haiku, is there nothing that you are ignorant of?"  
To this, Haiku had no answer.  
  
***  
  
Hotaru lifted her arms from the still form of Tuxedo Kamen. "How is he?"  
Haiku asked impatiently.  
  
"Well, he seems to have some kind of natural healing ability which has  
pretty much sealed up all of his exterior wounds. Unfortunately he has still  
lost a lot of blood, and there's also the fact that his spinal cord has been  
damaged."  
  
"Can you fix it?"  
  
"Yes, I believe I can."  
  
Donah was a little surprised, although he knew that he shouldn't have been.  
It seemed that anything was possible now.  
  
"So just sit yourself down Haiku. I don't know how long this is going to  
take."  
  
"Fine." Haiku took a seat as Hotaru set to her work. It had barely been a  
minute when she turned to Donah. "Ummm, is it just me or is getting a little  
warm in here?"  
  
"Now that you mention it something does feel wrong." Donah walked over to a  
wall panel and switched on a screen. He flicked through a few views of the  
underground and then of the snow plains above ground before settling on a  
view of the ground right above their position. A dark red light was  
emanating from the area. "Oh dear." Donah zoomed out a bit more, the  
camera's position being on a mountain a couple kilometres away and now saw  
that the red light was coming from the tower in the Command City. "Oh no,  
it's preparing to fire. This is just how the city looked before they  
destroyed it in a matter of seconds.  
  
Haiku was on her feet now. "How far underground are we? Do you know how deep  
the blast goes?"  
  
"The blast will only affect the first few meters of ground. The problem is  
that it will probably create a blastwave which will collapse all of the  
caves."  
  
"How many people?" Haiku asked.  
  
"There are hundreds down here at least. Most of the caves are in the  
targeted range. I'm sounding the alarm now."  
  
"You go as well," Haiku said to him. "Get out of the blast radius."  
  
"But what about you?" Donah asked. "How will you get out."  
  
"Don't worry, we'll be able to escape. But you won't unless you get out of  
here ASAP!"  
  
Donah struggled with his conscious for a moment. "All...right. I'll go. You  
three take care of yourselves."  
  
"Don't worry," Haiku called to him as he ran away. "The final salvation is  
near. Just try to stay alive."  
  
Haiku watched the screen for a moment and then looked at Hotaru. There was  
no sign that she would be finished soon. She returned her sight to the  
screen. The red was lightening up. Suddenly there was a flash of light as  
the beam of energy traveled down the red light and slammed into the ground.  
A moment later Haiku began to feel the ground shaking. Time for business.  
First she walked over to where Hotaru and Mamoru were lying and sitting. She  
drew her sword with the ginzuishou embedded in its hilt and held it over her  
head. "Time Crisis!" she shouted.  
  
Although she didn't feel pain, she did feel an odd experience as two wings  
burst from her back. They were the ones from her transformation, only  
without the fuku. The ginzuishou continued to put a barrier around all three  
of them just as chunks of the ceiling began to fall. "Come on Hotaru, we  
don't have much time. I'd rather not get completely buried beneath the  
Earth." More pieces of rock fell from the ceiling and some parts of the  
cavern collapsed completely.  
  
Hotaru opened her eyes to find Haiku holding up her sword and standing above  
her. Hotaru needed no prompting as she stood up and shifted into Sailor  
Saturn. Swiftly she picked up Mamoru and prepared for flight. Haiku called  
out, "Moon Cosmic Power!" and a beam of light burst from the tip of the  
sword and traveled upwards, creating a passage through the earth which  
hopefully led all the way to the surface. With a combination of her wings  
and magic she flew upwards, followed closely by Sailor Saturn.  
  
The sides of the tunnel sped past them as the light of the sky became closer  
and closer. Suddenly they rocketed out of the hole and just hovered in the  
air, looking towards the Command City. Haiku turned around to find her ship  
hovering in the air behind them. "Perfect timing." Unfortunately the red  
light was already being flashed onto the ship and could fire at any moment.  
  
"Haiku!" Sailor Saturn said as her friend turned to face her. "Here, take  
Mamoru." Haiku did not protest. Sailor Saturn flew up in front of the ship  
just in time. "SILENT BLOCK!" The barrier was formed just as the tower  
fired. Haiku didn't waste any time in getting herself and Mamoru through a  
new hatch on the bottom of the ship. Meanwhile the energy blast only lasted  
for a few seconds and except for falling back a little Sailor Saturn was  
able to hold it away. Before the tower could recharge and fire again she  
pointed her glaive towards the top of the tower. "Silent Destruction," she  
said as the top of the tower exploded. The red light disappeared and she  
followed Haiku through the hatch. The ship turned and flew away, headed  
towards Kaipo, the plains region.  
  
Inside the ship Usagi was fussing over Tuxedo Kamen at the seats in the back  
of the ship. He was finally just regaining consciousness. "Hey, I can move  
my legs now," he said as he changed back into Mamoru.  
  
"Don't worry, my ki-prince," Sailor Saturn said as she entered the  
compartment. "Although I was unable to repair most of your injuries I was  
able to repair your spinal cord."  
  
"Wow Hotaru, I didn't know you were able to do something as great as that!"  
Usagi exclaimed while leaping up to give her friend a hug. Although she  
still quickly returned to Mamoru. "Don't worry Mamoru, I can heal up the  
rest with this medallion..."  
  
Haiku sat in the front of the ship with Ami and Prof. Rinkvle. She had  
allowed the wings to disappear. "Ami, what's going on? Where is everyone  
else?"  
  
"We were ambushed in the Command City of Afkzo," Ami said as she fiddled  
with a few more controls. "There was a shield preventing anything from  
departing by sea so we had to use a rocket to get to Dohilne. Unfortunately  
at various places we were forced to leave the others behind in order for the  
two of us to escape. I just hope that we're not too late to return to help  
them."  
  
"I'm hoping that they'll already be helped by the time we get there," Haiku  
replied.  
  
end eps. 26  
  
Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 27 'Arcana'  
  
"Mars Flaming Inferno Blaze!"  
"Jupiter Lightning Wave ....Shock!"  
  
The two attacks decimated most of the mutants, and those that were left  
still found themselves a little disoriented. "Hurry, this way," the engineer  
said to Sailor Jupiter and Mars, as he gave their bows a tug. The three of  
them hurried across to the far side of the room, opposite from where they  
had entered. More mutants continued to drop into the room.  
  
"Damn!" Jupiter exclaimed. "Where are they all coming from?!"  
  
"Don't worry about it," the engineer answered. "We'll just collapse the  
entire cavern on them. I just hope your friends make it out safely." They  
reached the other side of the room and ran into the elevator. Almost  
immediately the doors shut and they began to move up. This time they were  
moving much faster up then they had when they were going down.  
  
"Whoa! Why are we moving so quickly this time?" Sailor Mars asked.  
  
"The elevator you came down in is just an ordinary elevator. This is a  
special one that only connects two different places." The door opened and  
they stepped into a small room with a glowing disc in the middle of it.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"This is an actual matter transporter created with our technology."  
  
"You mean it's possible to transport now? Why didn't we use it in the first  
place!?"  
  
"Well," the engineer admitted, "It is still very limited. The maximum  
distance one can travel is not very far and a very complicated apparatus  
must be set up at both ends. Also, it is only 80% reliable."  
  
"And you expect us to use it? What happens if something goes wrong?!"  
  
"Don't worry. The only errors we've had were isolated cases. I believe that  
there are just some people that are not compatible with it. I'm sure you'll  
be fine."  
  
"All right!" Sailor Jupiter slammed her fist into her other hand. "Where are  
you going to send us?"  
  
"There is a transporter pad located two floors right above the lobby where I  
believe some of your allies are fighting. I'll send you there and you'll  
just have to make a hole through a couple of the floors."  
  
"Sounds good." The engineer fiddled around with the controls a bit and then  
waved for the senshi to step onto the platform. As soon as their bodies were  
completely on top of it they disappeared. Next he pressed another couple  
switches.  
  
Meanwhile deep below, the ceiling of the rocket preparation area completely  
collapsed, killing approximately 500 mutants.  
  
***  
  
Sailor Venus flanked by Sailor Uranus pressed for the battle to move outside  
of the building. If the ceiling were to collapse on top of them from an  
energy blast the situation definitely wouldn't be helped. And either of  
their eternal attacks would probably take a chunk out of the building.  
  
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"  
"World Shaking!"  
  
The two eternal-enhanced attacks plowed straight through the mutants and  
continued out through what little was left of the front entrance of the  
building. They also continued and took out a piece of the next building.  
Splitting up and running between the remaining mutants the senshi were able  
to slip past them and join Sailor Neptune outside. As soon as they were  
outside the entire front part of the building collapsed and Sailor Mars and  
Jupiter joined them, dropping from a third floor window.  
  
*****  
  
As soon as Mars and Jupiter had appeared on the third floor they looked out  
the window to see Sailor Neptune below. A second later Uranus and Venus ran  
out of the building to join her. Assuming that there were only mutants  
remaining in the main lobby of the building they sent their full power  
attacks down into the floor and jumped out the window.  
  
"You're here!" Sailor Venus exclaimed. "Does that mean... -did Usagi?"  
  
"Yes. The rocket took off. We have no idea whether it worked or not though,"  
Sailor Jupiter replied.  
  
Now a squad of about 100 mutants turned a corner and started to run towards  
the senshi. Fortunately, they weren't inside the building anymore. "Uranus  
Meteor Comets!" The mutants were pummeled by giant hunks of rock falling  
from the sky and were gone in a few seconds. Sailor Uranus turned around to  
face the others. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go pay the Creator a  
visit."  
  
"But it's not the Creator this time. We've already incapacitated the Creator  
of this region. It must be something else."  
  
"Whatever. Let's go kill it." In this, they were all in agreement.  
  
***  
  
"Ha ha ha! Come to me senshi! The more the merrier..."  
  
***  
  
Strangely, as soon as the senshi decided to head for the Command Point the  
mutants stopped coming. "That's odd," Uranus commented, "Do you think they  
know we're coming?" she said sarcastically.  
  
"We're walking straight into a trap," Sailor Mars replied.  
  
"It's one of the best ways to meet your enemy," Sailor Neptune said darkly.  
"Then you don't have to go looking for them."  
  
With their superior speed the senshi quickly arrived in front of the Command  
Point. It was within the interior wall of the Command City but there was  
still a large amount of empty space in between the edge of the city and the  
point.  
  
Looking up at the Command Point towering in front of them Sailor Venus said,  
"I hope we don't have to climb up there. The insides of them are all the  
same and there's hardly any room to fight."  
  
"Don't worry Sailor Venus," a voice said from above them. "I wouldn't want  
to make a mess inside it. Human blood stains badly." A woman floated down  
from the Command Point, presumably from a door on the outside somewhere  
higher up. The best way to describe her would be to say that she was an  
angel from hell. Instead of being covered in white she was covered in black.  
(Kind of like Galaxia in SailorStars after chaos takes over her body)  
  
"Who are you?" Sailor Uranus challenged.  
  
"I am known as Arcana. The beyonder has decided that you senshi have become  
an annoyance worth disposing of. You should be honored." Sailor Uranus and  
Neptune made their talismans appear in their hands.  
  
"Neptune, Deep Sea Reflected, Craze Tornado Strike!" Incredibly out of place  
in the desert, two skinny water twisters spun back and forth through Arcana  
followed by a wind tornado which settled, spinning around her in one place.  
The wind stirred up a lot a sand and the senshi were forced to cover their  
eyes. When the dust settled they took a look but Arcana still hung in the  
same place as if nothing had happened.  
  
"Is that any way to greet a representative of the beyonder?"  
  
"Uranus, Space Sword, Meteor Comets!" The comets of light that fell from the  
sky first just dissolved just before they reached Arcana. As for the meteors  
that all fell towards her at the same time from all directions, she used her  
power to bounce them off of a magical shield surrounding herself to down  
towards the ground for the senshi to dodge. Sailor Uranus jumped out of the  
way of a couple of the meteors that came towards her and continued towards  
Arcana, prepared to attack physically with her sword.  
  
Unfortunately as she got close to Arcana she was just blasted back to the  
ground. Fortunately Sailor Neptune had shot a beam of energy out of her  
mirror at the same time which slammed Arcana back into the Command Point. A  
few seconds later Arcana flew back out. "Curse you, senshi! I cannot be  
defeated!" Arcana pointed towards Uranus and Neptune and the ground beneath  
them exploded.  
  
Meanwhile, the other 3 Sailors had spread out so that they were facing three  
different sides of Arcana.  
  
"Mars Flaming Inferno!"  
"Jupiter Lightning Wave!"  
"Venus Crescent Cross!"  
  
The three Sailors concentrated their attacks into three beams of energy like  
they had when they fought the elemental dragons. Arcana raised a shield just  
in the nick of time to counter the attack. But before she could  
counterattack two more balls of energy came flying towards her.  
  
"World Shaking!"  
"Deep Submerge!"  
  
Arcana actually fell back a bit from the additional attacks and was totally  
unexpecting Sailor Uranus to come flying towards her again. But as she  
prepared to block a physical attack from the sword Sailor Uranus changed  
tactics. "Space Sword Blaster!" The senshi had never used these battle  
tactics in the clips Arcana had seen of them. (But she had also never seen  
so many of them fighting at the same time). They were using other attacks  
besides the ones granted by the magic grid. This final attack took her  
completely by surprise. As a result the attack cut right through her  
defenses. She lost control of the shield she had been using to block the  
attacks of the inner senshi and all three of them hit her at the same time.  
  
"Blaze!"  
"Shock!"  
"Crush!"  
  
The three beams of energy changed back into the senshi's regular attacks as  
Arcana found herself right in the middle of an inferno of fire and lighting  
and crushed by Venus' attack. The explosion even took out a chunk of the  
Command Point.  
  
The dust settled and the senshi turned to see their battered opponent. Or at  
least who they expected to be battered. Although Arcana was now on the  
ground she was far from battered. "You fools!" she cried. "You cannot defeat  
me. I am immortal!"  
  
Arcana released a sphere of energy which expanded outwards in a flash and  
which blasted all of the senshi back. None of the senshi hit the ground  
until they had either run into a wall or a building. In a flash Sailor  
Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, and Neptune were back, now throwing punches at  
Arcana. Expertly Arcana blocked all four shots and knocked each senshi back  
with either a kick or a punch to the chest.  
  
Next, just as Sailor Uranus got back to her feet Arcana appeared behind her,  
grabbed her foot, picked her up and spun her around. After a rotation or two  
she then threw Sailor Uranus into Neptune which caused both senshi to fall  
back. Before Neptune could even hit the ground Arcana had both of her hands  
in front of her and was blasting the two senshi. The explosion was so heavy  
that the other three sailors were knocked from their feet. When the dust  
cleared the two outer soldiers laid on the ground unmoving.  
  
"Uranus! Neptune!" Sailor Venus cried out.  
  
"Don't worry little sailors. Your friends are still alive. It's no fun if I  
don't get to torture them later." Venus had no reply to Arcana's piercing  
laughter.  
  
"Okay guys, this is it," Sailor Jupiter said as the three of them regrouped.  
  
Arcana just continued to laugh. "Really; what do the three of you expect to  
accomplish?" With the two outer senshi lying on the ground things didn't  
look so good.  
  
"Come on Haiku, Hotaru, we could use your help right about now," Mars  
muttered.  
  
"Dead Scream!"  
"Star Flare!"  
  
A ball of purple energy and a column of liquid fire passed through Arcana,  
causing her pause. "What now?"  
  
Two new figures appeared in between the senshi and Arcana. One was Sailor  
Pluto and the other was a man in a blue robe. They were both holding staves  
although the man's was quite different from Sailor Pluto's. "You fools," the  
man said to the inner senshi, "don't you know that you can't defeat the  
beyonder's representatives?!"  
  
"Don't be so hard on them Orion, they don't have your sight or knowledge,"  
Sailor Pluto reminded him.  
  
Still facing Arcana, Sailor Pluto and Orion held out their staves towards  
her and crossed them. At the same time they both called out, "Time  
distortion!" Two thin beams of energy flew out from the ends of their  
staves, and flew towards Arcana in a double spiral. Arcana, assuming that  
she would easily be able to repel their attack as she did their previous one  
just stood her ground. By the time she had discovered her mistake it was  
already too late. Reality began to ripple as she was replaced by a black  
void. Unfortunately Sailor Pluto and Orion were forced to stay in the same  
position while the energies coming from their staves maintained the time  
warp.  
  
Sailor Venus and Jupiter ran over to Uranus and Neptune who were just  
starting to move while Mars ran over to where she could face the front of  
the two time warriors. "What are you doing?" she asked them.  
  
"We've trapped Arcana in subspace for the time being," Sailor Pluto replied.  
  
"Unfortunately we have to stay in this position and maintain it to keep it  
from either freeing Arcana or imploding and destroying us all," Orion added.  
  
"The others should get here any moment now," Sailor Pluto said.  
  
True to her word, the sparrow appeared in the sky a few seconds later.  
Lasers from the Command Points were just being absorbed by its shields. As  
it landed Uranus and Neptune got to their feet and Jupiter and Venus helped  
them walk although Uranus still tried to wave them away in order to retain a  
little of her dignity. Sailor Mars was about to follow them when she  
stopped. "What about you two?" she asked.  
  
"We'll hold Arcana here while you escape. Don't worry, we'll be fine."  
Sailor Mars nodded and hurried into the ship. When the ship was out of sight  
Sailor Pluto and Orion stopped the timewarp and had disappeared into a  
portal by the time Arcana was able to move again. In a few kind words, she  
wasn't very happy.  
  
***  
  
Inside the ship the senshi struggled to get everyone seated. Everyone had to  
detransform for the ridiculously large back bows of their fukus got in the  
way too much. Hotaru was busy healing Uranus' and Neptune's wounds. Haiku  
stood in the doorway of the back compartment and took a good look at  
everyone. "I think what everyone needs is a good night sleep to rest and  
recuperate," she stated.  
  
Haiku moved up to the front of the ship where Ami and Prof. Rinkvle were  
seated, flying the ship and dodging the attacks of the Command Points.  
"Don't worry, Ami," Haiku said. "I'll find us a safe place." Haiku sat down  
in the remaining seat and pressed one of the many buttons. She was rewarded  
with an oxygen masking dropping into her lap.  
  
"The communications controls are a little more to the left now," Ami said  
without looking."  
  
"Jeez, I wonder who's ship this is now," Haiku commented. She looked to the  
left to find the communications controls, only now a whole lot more  
complicated. "Okay, how do I turn on the communication line that used to be  
just one button?"  
  
"Set the first dial to the fourth frequency, the second dial to the sixth  
frequency, and leave the third dial where it already is." Haiku did as she  
was told and also put on a headset that was sitting above the controls.  
  
"Okay now what? How do I turn it on?"  
  
"Just speak into the headset. It's voice activated."  
  
"Fine. Artemis, are you there?" Haiku said.  
  
"It's good to hear that you're still alive Haiku." Artemis' voice came over  
the communication clearly. Of course he would be able to hear her as soon as  
the transmission was sent since he always made sure to stay in touch with  
the control centre of the base by either wearing a headset or by having  
everything come through out loud. He did the latter sometimes while he was a  
cat.  
  
"Is Usagi all right?" Luna's voice asked. Apparently she was also online.  
  
"Yes, we're all safe and sound. Artemis, all of the targets have been  
investigated and most of the threats they pose have been eliminated. I've  
also learned how we might be able to defeat the beyonder."  
  
"That's great. Is there anything you need?"  
  
"Yeah. We're all worn out. We need some place to stay so we can heal up and  
rest up. Are the repairs finished? Have you found a way that we can defend  
the base or do you know a place where we can go?"  
  
"Sure! You can all just come right back to the base here. Sailor Pluto and  
Orion have set up the base so that we'll be able to enter subspace and move  
underground once everyone is inside. The beyonder won't be able to reach us  
there."  
  
"Sounds good. We're coming straight there. Haiku out."  
  
Haiku removed the headset and turned to Ami. "Go to resistance headquarters.  
Artemis says that once we get there he'll move the base into subspace and  
underground to protect us from the beyonder."  
  
"Are you sure that that will be safe?" Ami asked.  
  
"According to Sailor Pluto and Orion it is."  
  
"Who's Orion?"  
  
"I'm assuming that he was the guy that was helping Sailor Pluto back in  
Afkzo."  
  
"Professor," Ami asked, "Can the ship still travel underwater?"  
  
"Of course it can. It can travel in space, and water is nothing compared to  
space."  
  
"Okay then, here we go!" There was a small bump as the ship passed  
underwater, out of the range of the Command Points. "It will be good to  
finally have a break. We've earned it."  
  
end eps. 27 


	30. Episode 28: R&R: Reflection and Revelati...

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 28 'R&R: Reflection and Revelation'  
  
Usagi sat at the edge of the fountain, trying to appreciate the crystal  
bench she was sitting on and the crystal figure that had water running out  
of it. She wasn't even sure what the figure was supposed to be. Although one  
might expect to find clear, pure water running through a fountain like this  
it was nothing but dirty seawater which pretty much ruined the intended  
effect.  
  
"Usagi, here you are," Luna the cat exclaimed, taking a seat at Usagi's  
feet.  
  
"It's beautiful Luna." Although the intended effect was ruined, Usagi still  
found the beauty in it. It's the attempt that counts, after all.  
  
"Everyone's been looking all over for you," Luna scolded, but Usagi  
continued talking as though she hadn't heard a word that Luna had said.  
  
"So this will be my garden someday, or would have been someday." Although  
nothing could grow yet, it could be seen where room had been left for walls,  
bushes, and flowers. The people involved in resistance had apparently had a  
lot of spare time and spent a lot of it designing, developing and arranging  
the palace grounds. "I bet that Neo-Queen Serenity spends hours and hours  
sitting here, and I bet that an endless number of romances will happen  
here." She shook her head. "What was that Luna? I wasn't listening."  
  
"Why did you run off so abruptly Usagi?"  
  
"How can I, Luna?"  
  
"How can you what?"  
  
"How can I send away my friends once again on a mission which will most  
certainly lead to their deaths? This time I have the chance to prevent it  
before it even happens. I don't think I can handle it happening again."  
  
"This is far different this time Usagi. You aren't leading the senshi to  
their deaths. Destiny has given them a chance to accept a mission that could  
POSSIBLY lead to their deaths. Which won't happen if everyone plays their  
own part."  
  
"I suppose so; but I just feel ... I don't know, that there's something more  
that I can do... that there's a bit of doubt existing."  
  
"I can't help you there Usagi. You're going to have to build your confidence  
from yourself and the others. We've all been through a lot and no one's  
going to give up now. Anything is possible. Heck, I never believed that I  
would become a sailor senshi, even for a short period of time, and look how  
well that worked out. There's just one more goal. And if we can achieve it  
we'll finally be able to hopefully restore at least a little bit of what we  
had before."  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Pluto sat at her desk. To anyone else it would seem odd for there was  
nothing else there except for the desk and the chair she was sitting on.  
Everything else was just black emptiness. She was extremely frustrated over  
her attempts to translate the mage runes. After the end of the Silver  
Millennium she hadn't expected to see them again (and if time had flowed  
normally she wouldn't have) so she had allowed the knowledge to fade with  
time for it brought back too many memories. And now she had a very small  
time to get some kind of meaning out of them. Needless to say, she wasn't  
having any luck at all.  
  
If only she could go back in time she would be able to translate them. But  
now the beyonder was blocking time travel and it would take all of the  
senshi's power together in order to break through it for the journey there  
and even worse, the journey back.  
  
Of course, Haiku had done some timetravelling. How else could she have  
awoken Usagi's dormant inherited power? A plan began to form in Sailor  
Pluto's mind...  
  
*****  
  
Haiku was sitting in her room, relaxing and allowing time to pass. A  
well-deserved and well-needed bath had allowed her to unwind. Shortly after  
they had all returned to resistance headquarters Usagi had disappeared. With  
the internal security detectors still offline the senshi had split up to  
find her. Haiku, on the other hand understood why Usagi had run off and  
decided that Usagi would be found when she wanted to be found.  
  
Haiku knew only too well what was bothering Usagi. Back during her days of  
training for the gathering mission she had watched countless people  
sacrifice their lives in order for resistance to gather enough information  
for the first mission to be a success. There were even more casualties  
involved while they were gathering the materials for her ship.  
  
Haiku was still unsure as to how she was supposed to use her abilities to  
defeat the beyonder. In fact, she was still unsure as to what exactly her  
abilities entailed. As with the rest of the senshi's powers, they hadn't  
come with an instruction manual. Fortunately, she did not allow frustration  
to get the better of her.  
  
Although it was not totally unexpected, Haiku was still a little startled  
when Sailor Pluto appeared in her room. "Hey, there's this little thing  
called knocking, you know," Haiku said as a reflex without thinking.  
  
"Don't worry Haiku, I made sure that you weren't doing anything before I  
entered."  
  
"Hey, how did you..." Haiku went silent as her face turned red. "Ah.... what  
did you want?"  
  
Sailor Pluto allowed herself to smile for a moment. "I have a problem," she  
said. With the look on Haiku's face she quickly continued. "Yes, even I have  
problems sometimes!" "Anyway, after quite a lot of time of analyzing the  
time runes..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I haven't been able to find out anything! I don't know why. I've read mage  
runes before."  
  
"So what do you want me to do about it? I couldn't much sense out of them  
either!"  
  
Sailor Pluto revealed her plan. "It's very simple actually. I just need you  
to travel back in time to the planet Saturn during the Silver Millennium to  
get one of the scholars there to take a look at the runes. You're the only  
one who's able to travel back in time so effortlessly."  
  
Haiku paused. "Yeah, but there's a little problem. You see, I had no control  
over what time period I was going to last time. I just activated the power  
and let it take me wherever I was supposed to go. I don't even know whether  
I could repeat the same process for that matter."  
  
"But it's worth a try," Sailor Pluto said. "I assume that you have no idea  
how to beat the beyonder with your powers at the moment. These runes might  
hold the key. But we're never going to find out what they say if you don't  
take the initiative."  
  
"All right, fine!" Haiku exclaimed. "Let's just hope that they've found  
Usagi by now. I'm going to need the medallion again." Haiku got up, threw   
on some clothes, and wasjust about to run through the door when Sailor Pluto knocked her on the  
shoulder with her staff. She turned around to find Pluto pointing towards a  
portal she had just formed. "Of course, how silly of me. Why should we have  
to bother taking the door like everyone else."  
  
*****  
  
Luna had finally persuaded Usagi to return with her and rejoin the others  
when the black portal appeared about ten feet off of the ground and a person  
dropped out of it. A very annoyed looking Haiku got up off of the ground and  
brushed herself off. "Very funny Pluto," she called out.  
  
Just as Luna was about to ask Haiku who she was talking to another portal  
formed, this time vertically rather than horizontally, and Sailor Pluto  
stepped out. Haiku stared at her for a moment and Pluto just ignored  
everyone. The silent fight was interrupted by Usagi. "Haiku, Pluto! Is  
something wrong?"  
  
"No, nothing Usagi," Haiku replied, seemingly unwanting to take her eyes off  
the person who had made a hole appear below her feet a few moments earlier.  
  
"Actually we need your help, princess," Sailor Pluto said.  
  
Usagi was the only person to whom Haiku had explained how she had gone into  
the past and changed it so that Usagi would be able to survive. "I need to  
borrow the medallion again. Pluto thinks that if I go back into the past  
again then I'll be able to find some clue as to how I am supposed to defeat  
the beyonder."  
  
"Are you sure that's safe?!" Usagi exclaimed. "I mean, the last time you did  
it the beyonder was able to interfere. What if he does something worse?"  
  
"I don't think he will. To him right now we don't seem like enough of a  
nuisance to eliminate quickly. Although he might be stronger in terms of raw  
power he is still unable to travel through time. I've seen what happens when  
he affects my destination. I should be able to counter it if necessary. If  
he wanted me dead or had been able to kill me he would have done so when I  
was there. And besides, this could be the key to our victory!"  
  
"I know," Usagi replied unclipping the chain from around her neck. "But I  
don't like sending you guys on risky missions. It took enough trouble for us  
to get back together the second time. I don't think we would make it through  
another round."  
  
"Don't worry Usagi, I intend on coming back. I still have some unfinished  
business." Haiku took the medallion that had been dropped into her hand and  
placed it around her own neck. She was about to continue when a voice called  
out.  
  
"Wait!" Hotaru came running up. "Take me too." In a few seconds a silent  
conversation passed between Hotaru and Haiku.  
  
"No Hotaru, not you too," Usagi protested.  
  
"Let's go," Haiku said as Hotaru shifted into Sailor Saturn and Haiku drew  
her sword. Before Usagi could say anything else the two were engulfed in  
white light and disappeared.  
  
"Why did you let her do that?" Usagi asked Pluto.  
  
"It's not my place to instruct either of them. They both have a far better  
idea of what is going on than any of us," Sailor Pluto answered before  
walking back into her portal.  
  
*****  
  
Haiku opened her eyes to find herself in a place much different than she had  
expected to be in. Actually, she wasn't where she was supposed to be at all.  
Her last thought before allowing the medallion to pull her into the  
timestream was to find a way to defeat the beyonder. Perhaps the beyonder  
had interfered.  
  
She was standing on a rock looking out over the water-flooded land. Somehow  
she just 'knew' that she was still on earth. And also, she just 'knew' that  
this was where the sailor senshi had lost to the beyonder two years ago, or  
in this case, a few minutes earlier. Sailor Saturn was not standing beside  
her. She must have remained in the timestream. This was not where Haiku had  
wanted to go.  
  
Activating the medallion, she reentered the timestream. This time with  
thoughts of Saturn, the Silver Millennium and a way to translate the mage  
runes.  
  
*****  
  
Haiku appeared inside a building this time, staring up at a statue of a  
black angel carrying a weapon similar to Saturn's glaive. Sailor Saturn was  
kneeling beside her, hands together and eyes closed. Haiku quickly weighed  
the odds and decided that it would be safest to let her be for now. There  
was no visible entrance or exit so Haiku just forced herself to be patient.  
  
After a short but seemingly long period of time Sailor Saturn stood back up.  
Haiku tried to not let any emotion show. "Sorry to make you wait Haiku,"  
Saturn said. I just had a few issues to take care of."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, apparently the spirit of Saturn is sleeping right now. It seems that  
here a senshi only comes into office when she is needed. So when I appeared  
the planet got a little nervous, not expecting its powers to be drawn from.  
I just straightened out that we're from another time and that we'll only be  
staying for a short time."  
  
"That's good. Now where are we and how do we get out?"  
  
"I unknowingly drew us towards this place. It's the shrine of Saturn. Very  
few people are allowed in here besides Sailor Saturn. -don't worry, I kept  
the planet from destroying you."  
  
"Oh joy, now how do we get out?"  
  
"Just a moment." Saturn closed her eyes and a moment later the two of them  
vanished.  
  
*****  
  
Haiku and Hotaru appeared on a dais, looking up at space. Haiku noticed that  
Hotaru had detransformed during the teleport. No one was around. "Where are  
we? Where is everyone?"  
  
"This tends to be a place that the residents don't go near. Just because  
their guardian is Sailor Saturn doesn't mean they aren't scared of her  
power. Come on, this way."  
  
Haiku followed Hotaru down a slope, through some rocks, through an alley and  
out onto a street. Although there were some people out on the street there  
weren't very many and none stopped to inquire as to who Haiku or Hotaru  
were.  
  
Hotaru led to a large, domed building. "What's this?" Haiku asked.  
  
"This is a university of sorts. There should be someone here who can help  
us." There was no one at the doors so the two of them just continued on into  
the great hall. It was empty except for a woman sitting at a desk at the  
side. Once again, Hotaru led. "Excuse me, can you direct me to where an  
ancient translator might be?"  
  
The woman paused for a moment and then gave the directions. "But Sera-san  
doesn't accept visitors. You'll probably find yourself sent back here."  
  
"Oh I'm sure we have something that might be of interest to him," Hotaru  
replied.  
  
*****  
  
After two knocks and the usual waiting period had expired it became apparent  
that no one was going to answer the door.  
  
"Maybe this is the wrong door," Haiku said.  
  
"No, he's in there," Hotaru replied.  
  
"Hello, is anyone in there?" Haiku called out. No answer. "Excuse me, but if  
you don't come and open the door for us we're going to have to remove it  
ourselves." Still no answer. "We're not going to go away. Fine then, have it  
your way." Haiku was about to use her magic when Hotaru suddenly grabbed her  
arm.  
  
"Wait a moment." Hotaru ran her hand over the door. "There's a blocking  
spell in place."  
  
"What does that mean? Is he not hearing us?"  
  
"Oh, he can hear you all right, but chances are that if you tried to blast  
down the door the energy would bounce back."  
  
"So it will be okay as long as I use more power than the block can handle,  
right?"  
  
"Probably not. If you release that much power you'll most likely destroy  
more than the door. And if you tried and didn't hit it with enough power on  
your first try it would be even worse."  
  
"But naturally, you can handle it?"  
  
"Of course." A moment later Hotaru was replaced by Sailor Saturn. Hotaru  
this time called out, "If you don't come and remove the block for us then I,  
Sailor Saturn, will get annoyed." This time there was an answer.  
  
"Get out of here you blasphemous kids," a voice called from inside. "I'm  
busy."  
  
Sailor Saturn concentrated for a moment on his mind. "Stubborn man." She  
held out her glaive. "Silence glaive surprise!" Ribbons shot out from the  
tip of her glaive to the edges of the door. The door was incinerated; for in  
actuality there was no door. Just a blocking spell that looked like a door;  
there was still a curtain drawn across the doorway. Sailor Saturn stepped  
aside and held out her arm for Haiku to go first.  
  
Haiku pushed aside the curtain and walked inside the room. She had expected  
to see a cranky old man but instead there was a young (probably arrogant)  
man sitting at a desk, looking a little annoyed but mostly startled. "What  
do you think you are doing?" he exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how long it  
took me to build that? You can't just walk in here and..I.." he drifted off  
as the other woman stepped through the door.  
  
[Quick background: On the planet Saturn, Sailor Saturn was kind of like a  
God. Speaking with disrespect about her was blasphemy. Impersonation was  
impossible because the planet 'disabled' anyone who tried it. (And every so  
often someone went crazy and thought that they were the next Sailor Saturn  
and had to be 'put in their place' by the planet, but that's another story)]  
  
"Ahhh...what...I didn't know," he mumbled as he fell to his knees.  
  
"Relax. I'm not here to kill you. Your business is with her," Sailor Saturn  
said, pointing to Haiku. The silence glaive disappeared and Hotaru  
detransformed. The man got to his feet.  
  
"Uhhh, how can I help you?"  
  
Haiku was disappointed that the show was over. She took out the memory cube.  
"I want you to translate some mage runes for me."  
  
"Do you have them with you?" Haiku pressed the cube and an image of the wall  
appeared. The man quickly picked his glasses off of the floor and put them  
on. For a moment he looked at the script. "That's odd," he commented.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I'm not sure what this script is. It seems familiar." He got  
up and moved back, further into the quarters past another curtain. He  
motioned for Haiku to follow. "Master! Wake up! Come take a look at this."  
The three of them stepped into the next room.  
  
Sitting at a desk was the old man that Haiku had expected to see upon  
entering the quarters. It looked like he had fallen asleep right at his desk  
right in the middle of his work, for he woke up, shook his head and, not  
even noticing his visitors, continued the work he had been doing the night  
before. "No master, over here, we have visitors." Now all four of them were  
in the room.  
  
"I thought I told you not to bother me unless it was important. I don't have  
time for trivialities."  
  
"But this IS important." The young man grabbed the cube from Haiku's hand  
and placed it on the desk in front of the old man, turning it on. "They  
brought this in. I'm not sure what this script is; I don't believe what it  
appears to be. What do you think?"  
  
The man stopped as soon as he saw the script, and took a closer look. After  
a moment he turned around and looked right at Haiku. "Where did you find  
these?"  
  
"Well, I'm not sure how to explain...I found them on a door but it doesn't  
exist anymore."  
  
"Do you know what these are?" he asked.  
  
"I've been told that they're mage runes. My friend here partially translated  
some of them."  
  
"Really? Interesting... come here for a moment." the man took out a writing  
tool and wrote down a line of text. He held it up. "This is what I see as  
the first line of text, but it isn't what either of you see, is it?"  
  
"Huh?" Haiku grabbed the 'pen' and paper and copied down some messy  
characters. "That's what I'm reading. Are you sure we're looking at the same  
place?"  
  
"Oh, quite sure. I've heard about these before but only seen them once. It's  
interesting how their nature is still present in a visual reproduction."  
  
"Why? What are they?"  
  
"These, my dear, are certainly not mage runes, as I am quite apt in their  
translation. I'm not even sure if this text has a name as no human can write  
it. In belonging, it could only be of nature, or of a God if they really  
exist. As you may have already noticed, the text reads differently for each  
person, and can even change its appearance for one person over time."  
  
"As for their nature, I'd say that they are used to guide, to control fate,  
and to lead time in the right direction. An authority above even that of the  
avatar of Pluto... of course, this is all speculation but that's one of the  
more realistic theories. That's why I want to know where you found it."  
  
"They just appeared on a wall.... wait, you said that you've seen them  
before?"  
  
"Of course. I imagine that every scholar in the system has at least once,  
even if they didn't realize what they are. It's one of the major attractions  
on Earth. There's a giant rock face covered with symbols like these."  
  
"What does it say?"  
  
"Well, no one can read them anymore but it's said that it prophetized the  
establishment of the first colonies on Earth's moon and gave rough  
instructions on how to colonize the rest of the planets with the help of  
magic."  
  
"So what you're saying," Haiku concluded, "Is that the runes probably gave  
crucial instructions to specific people at certain moments in time in order  
to direct the spread and survival of life?"  
  
"Well I suppose so, but you state it so simply."  
  
"So you're suggesting that that might be what mine are for?"  
  
"It's possible. But from what I've heard only avatars have been able to read  
this language and even then only Pluto or maybe Saturn; but they're rarely  
present in the system any more."  
  
Finally Hotaru decided to contribute to the conversation. "No, Pluto wasn't  
able to understand them, she thought you might. I was only able to translate  
some of it, none of which is of any use to us now."  
  
"Wait a moment. You did what? Who are you? Where are you from? When are you  
from...."  
  
Haiku and Hotaru paused as they looked at each other; they weren't sure what  
to say.  
  
"Lee, please leave the room," the man stated.  
  
"Master, I already know."  
  
"No, I'm afraid you don't. You only know what you need to know," It looked  
like he was going to protest again but he didn't and left the room. The old  
man waved his hand and a solid wall appeared in place of the doorway. "I'm  
sorry about that," he apologized, "but this is something that shouldn't  
leave this room. So, who do I have the privilege of being in the presence  
of?"  
  
Hotaru changed into Sailor Saturn. The crescent moon appeared on Haiku's  
forehead.  
  
"Ah, the main line of the moon guided by the shadow of Saturn. Interesting.  
Let's see... a ginzuishou and our medallion! In the hands of one who hasn't  
come of age yet? That could be dangerous: although that's only in this time.  
You're from the future, I assume, hmmm.... let's see... I'd say, 2 or 3  
generations from our present queen... is something so drastic going to take  
place in the next couple hundreds of years?"  
  
Haiku stared at him. "Who are you?"  
  
"I can't believe you never changed, Seran," Hotaru said.  
  
"Well, I guess that means I'm not going to check out anytime soon, after  
all. Seran, I call myself? As for your question, I was actually there when  
the stone on Earth I was telling you about was read. I guess it's been a few  
thousand years since then.  
  
Haiku was pretty used to strange occurrences and was starting to understand.  
"So you're immortal?" she asked.  
  
He sighed. "Don't rub it in. The ginzuishou tends to have that effect on  
people."  
  
"And you learned how to make it from the stone?" Haiku asked. "The medallion  
too? That's quite..."  
  
"Yes, and the transformation sticks, and disguise tools, and the talismans,  
and a whole bunch other artifacts that have either been hidden or  
destroyed."  
  
"Is there any way to reverse the effect of the ginzuishou?" Sailor Saturn  
asked.  
  
The man looked at her for a moment. "Ah, I see. You've been under its light  
for about a thousand years I'd say. Hmm, that changes things. To your  
question, it IS possible but quite difficult. It involves destroying the  
ginzuishou in a certain way.... but you don't want to get into that. But  
first: you have an idea of who I am. Now where are you from?"  
  
Haiku took things up at this point. "(Assuming the Silver Millennium ended  
around the year 1000,) We're from about 2000 years in the future although  
due to our time situation we are currently fighting about 1000 years from  
now." Haiku gave him a brief run-down on how the next 2000 years were  
supposed to happen normally and what had actually happened instead.  
  
"Indeed, it is quite a story. But Hotaru, you said that you were able to  
read some of this scripture?"  
  
"Yes, but that only led to sending Haiku and myself to the past ...oh, I  
understand it now."  
  
"Yes. It would appear that this script has already served its purpose for  
you and pointed time in the right direction. Everything else will be your  
own to discover if the script won't reveal anything else. Now, I'm sure  
you're needed by now in your own time, so when do we leave?"  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about? I realize that we've just given you a  
detailed overview of the future that you shouldn't have known. Are you sure  
that you want to interfere with the natural order of time?"  
  
"Of course it will be all right! You've only just brought me up to date. The  
reason I know that is the reason why I was able to identify this script so  
quickly. For me, I can translate this top line. It says that I -me  
personally- will be leaving this planet and life today. Originally I thought  
that it might be foretelling my death but now that you've explained  
yourselves it all makes sense."  
  
"But the only person I'm able to take with me is Hotaru and that's just  
because we were bonded together in the first place."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be able to follow you once you make the jump into the  
timestream. It's not like I've never traveled through time before."  
  
"Well, I guess we'd better get going then," Haiku announced as she reclaimed  
the memory cube. "Is there anything you need to take care of before we  
leave?"  
  
"Just a moment." He quickly jotted down a note and left it on his desk.  
"Okay. I'm ready now."  
  
Haiku drew her sword, grabbed onto Sailor Saturn and allowed herself to be  
drawn into the timestream. Her last thought was of her disappointment that  
they hadn't found a way to defeat the beyonder.  
  
Seran looked at the place where the two of them had disappeared.  
"Interesting. The residue is rapidly decaying. I wonder how it's done." He  
pushed the thought aside for a later date and gracefully stepped into the  
timestream.  
  
A few minutes later the wall returned to a normal doorway and Lee came into  
the room to find it deserted. He immediately spotted the note on the desk.  
"What's this? 'The millennium is coming to an end. Go to Earth.'" He  
shrugged. "Guess my training's over. Who am I to argue with Sailor Saturn."  
  
*****  
  
Haiku was standing on a rock looking out over the water-flooded land. This  
time Sailor Saturn was standing beside her, and a moment later Seran stepped  
out of thin air. "This isn't the new Earth is it?" he asked.  
  
"No, it isn't. I don't know why the medallion keeps bringing me to this  
point in time. We're at the point when the beyonder was just starting to  
bond with the Earth. We should get back this time."  
  
Before Seran or Saturn could say anything the two senshi were pulled back  
into the timestream.  
  
*****  
  
Usagi still sat at the place where she had seen Haiku and Hotaru disappear.  
It had been hours since their departure. The other senshi had come and gone.  
Sailor Pluto wasn't present but Usagi knew that she was probably watching.  
Usagi was just starting to drift off to sleep when Hotaru and Sailor Saturn  
came tumbling out of thin air, followed by a man who gracefully stepped away  
to avoid from being trampled by them. A moment later as Usagi had expected  
Sailor Pluto appeared through a portal. For a moment no one spoke. Haiku was  
as shocked by the man as Usagi was.  
  
"But you were-" Haiku muttered.  
  
"Yes, I was an old man," Seran replied. "But remember, I'm immortal. I was  
just playing my part on Saturn." Instead of the old man who Haiku and Hotaru  
had met on Saturn standing in front of them now was a man no older than in  
the late twenties. Haiku and Hotaru shuffled to their feet, but Seran had  
already moved on. "So you must be Serenity's daughter. It's an honor." Usagi  
wasn't sure what to say.  
  
Meanwhile Pluto was having her turn. "Haiku, I thought you knew better than  
to bring people forward in time. This could cause even more problems. What  
if he has something to do in the past? This could lead to a whole new slew  
of problems."  
  
"Relax Pluto. He said it would be okay. It was written in the runes, which  
by the way, aren't actually mage runes."  
  
"They aren't?"  
  
"No, this is going to take a while to explain." Haiku pointed towards the  
portal and the two of them moved towards it.  
  
"We're going to have to speak at a later date your highness," Seran said to  
Usagi before hurrying to get through the portal that Haiku and Pluto had  
gone through before it disappeared.  
  
That left just Hotaru and Usagi standing there.  
  
"Come on Usagi, we need to get some rest," Hotaru said, taking Usagi's hand.  
"Don't worry about them. They have some things to work through before they  
call it a night."  
  
Usagi nodded and followed silently.  
  
end eps. 28 


	31. Episode 29: Truth and Sacrifice

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth -Part 3, Hope and Chaos  
Episode 29 'Truth and Sacrifice'  
  
Haiku steadily climbed up the spiral staircase. She was still restless. How  
could one be expected to sleep on the night before a mission that would  
decide the destiny of the world? As she reached the top and found the door  
already ajar she realized that she wasn't the only one having trouble  
sleeping.  
  
The door opened up into a small room with a ladder leading upwards. A small  
amount of light was coming down from the room above. After assuring herself  
that the ladder was sturdy Haiku climbed up the ladder.  
  
The room she entered was the only one in the whole palace that was actually  
open to the ocean as the entire base had been buried underground as a safety  
precaution. There was plenty of detection equipment in the room's ceiling so  
a watcher wasn't necessary. It was a small cylindrical room, with one window  
stretching all the way around. It was really more of a sightseeing room than  
anything else. One could see the fishes swimming around past the window.  
Haiku turned around to find Usagi sitting on the circular bench, who now  
tilted her head backwards to look at Haiku. "Couldn't sleep either ne?"  
Haiku took a seat.  
  
"I don't see how anyone can be."  
  
"Don't worry. I don't imagine that anyone is actually sleeping now. Mamoru  
and I couldn't so we both went for a walk. I'm sure he's found some place in  
the palace like this by now."  
  
Haiku handed the medallion to Usagi. "Here's the medallion back. I didn't  
get a chance to return it to you." Usagi closed her hand over it but said  
nothing.  
  
"It's strange," Haiku said. "None of us wanted to loose our homes yet even  
if we win there's no way we can have it back either."  
  
"Don't think that way," Usagi said, reaching back and grasping Haiku's hand.  
"If there's one thing I've learned over the past two years it's to treasure  
the few things we DO have. Remember that."  
  
"Maybe....."  
  
Silence filled the air for the remainder of the night.  
  
*****  
  
Luna rushed into the control room the next morning. "Artemis! Have you seen  
either of the Usagis? Neither of them are in their rooms or eating  
breakfast. I can't find them anywhere!"  
  
"Relax Luna," Artemis said calmly, rising from the chair where he had been  
trying to get some much-needed sleep. "I know where all of the senshi are.  
Right now Usagi and Haiku are sleeping in one of the towers." Artemis made a  
screen light up. It showed a top view of the room that Usagi and Haiku were  
sleeping in. At the moment they were both laid out on the benches. "Most of  
the senshi are still asleep as they didn't get to sleep very easily. Just  
let them take their time. The world isn't going to come to an end in the  
next few hours."  
  
A few hours later found all of the soldiers gathering in the transfer room.  
Usagi was still snacking on something that she had grabbed from the  
breakfast table. Ami was looking rather well considering the fact that she  
was missing an arm. Haruka and Michiru were whispering at the side. Sailor  
Pluto was still catching up from Haiku. Orion and Seran were present as  
well. Dr Rinkvle was also standing at the side as he was going to pilot the  
ship.  
  
Seeing that everyone was now present Artemis began. "Everyone, here's the  
plan. Dr Rinkvle is going to take sailors Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter,  
Uranus, and Neptune to the six Command Points. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon,  
Sailor Pluto, Tuxedo Kamen, Haiku, Sailor Saturn, Seran, and Orion are going  
to go the disc where The Gathering took place. They're going to use the  
disc's focusing power to transport to the moon. At this time the signal will  
be given and the first group will simultaneously destroy all of the Command  
Points. The beyonder will hopefully loose possession of most of its power  
and the other party will engage him. Any questions? Good. Let's go."  
  
The first group followed Rinkvle down a side corridor to the ship while.  
Sailor Moon, Haiku (still detransformed but able to wield the power of the  
ginzuishou), Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn formed a circle in the center of  
the room. Tuxedo Kamen jumped into the middle. Orion and Seran stood outside  
of the circle as they were able to grab onto the transportation  
independently to follow it.  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Mercury jumped out of the ship as it passed over the Command Point of  
Kaipo. It was a little difficult for her to stay put with only one arm but  
she managed.  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Mars chose to take out the Command Point of Toria. She took up her  
place as close to the top as she could get and began to prepare to do as  
much damage as possible.  
  
*****  
  
The second party appeared on the platform out in the middle of the ocean.  
Fortunately (and quite conveniently too,) Artemis had found a way to trigger  
its reactivation after The Gathering. The group of 7 appeared to find dark  
energies swirling around them. "Ambush!" Haiku cried as they appeared.  
"Pluto, Saturn, Orion, prepare for the jump. Let's take them Sailor Moon!  
Mamoru and Seran cover us!"  
  
Haiku stood at one side of the disc and held up the ginzuishou. Sailor Moon  
stood at the other side of the platform holding up her own ginzuishou as  
they both released their power at the same time. The Creators didn't stand a  
chance at getting through their barrier.  
  
Meanwhile Orion and Sailor Pluto began the process of activating each of the  
points of the star without the aid of the other senshi. (The eight-pointed  
star with the moon in the middle)  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Jupiter got off at the Afkzo Command Point. It was sad that she would  
be cutting off the lifeline of the land she had once helped protect but now  
everything was at risk. This was the final battle.  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Venus performed a couple of flips in mid-air before landing on the  
tip of the Arctic Command Point.  
  
*****  
  
The situation was going well with nearly all of the points of the star  
activated when the laughter came from both sides of the disc at once. Arcana  
appeared floating in the air on one side of the disc and Aries on the other.  
  
"You cannot resist the will of our master!" Arcana cried.  
  
"I'll get my revenge on you worms this time!" Aries added.  
  
Pluto and Orion nodded. "Finish the last activation Seran," Sailor Pluto  
spoke quickly. A moment and a flash later Arcana was imprisoned in a time  
warp. (Those enemies never learn)  
  
"You might be able to get her that way but not me!"  
  
Seran and Saturn glanced around. It was unlikely that they would be able to  
hold off Aries.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll hold him," a voice called out as a cage of light appeared  
around Aries. He banged against the magical bars but was unable to escape.  
The little girl who looked like Chibi-usa floated down from the sky. "Hurry  
up and go, I can't hold him forever," she commanded and Seran returned to  
his task of activating the final point of the star.  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Uranus landed gracefully on top of the Command Point of the mountain  
region. It wasn't traditionally the outer senshi way to go out without a  
fight but she could make an exception just this once.  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Neptune watched the Sparrow fly away. She looked down to see that the  
crater had return to its normal environment that that they Command City had  
been completely destroyed. Nothing stirred down there now. Now all of the  
senshi were in position. They just had to wait for the signal.  
  
*****  
  
The final point of the star lit up and the dais in the middle rised up a few  
inches. "Now, Sailor Moon," Seran shouted.  
  
Leaving Haiku to maintain the barrier Sailor Moon jumped up onto the dais  
and using the medallion directed her power down into the dais the symbol of  
the moon. The Creators began to get closer and closer.  
  
Suddenly Sailor Pluto and Orion ceased their timewarp and Arcana began to  
return to normal space. A moment later the dais that Sailor Moon was  
standing on lit up. "Hold on everyone, here we go!" Sailor Pluto shouted as  
she directed the activating transportation. As soon as they were gone the  
little girl left as well. Aries and Arcana were left alone with the  
Creators.  
  
*****  
  
The group appeared on the moon, the Earth looming overhead. The miniature  
Command Point stood before them. Sailor Pluto and Orion were gone, but that  
had been planned.  
  
*****  
  
Orion and Sailor Pluto appeared in the sparrow beside Dr. Rinkvle. He then  
contacted the senshi through communicators that they were all carrying.  
  
*****  
  
"Eternal Mercury FREEZE!"  
"Eternal Mars ENGULF!"  
"Eternal Jupiter SHOCK!"  
"Eternal Venus CRUSH!"  
"Eternal Uranus BLAST!"  
"Eternal Neptune STRIKE!"  
  
*****  
  
The sky was filled with light as the tips of the six Command Points on Earth  
exploded and the atmosphere began to destabilize. Then, just as soon as  
everything had started happening it stopped. For just the Earth, Sailor  
Pluto and Orion had used their ultimate power and stopped time.  
  
None of the soldiers on the moon were affected by the collapse of the magic  
grid. Sailor Saturn had already achieved eternal status and so had Sailor  
Moon. Haiku decided that it was time for business and pulled out her sword.  
Placing the ginzuishou into its hilt she called out, "Time Crisis, make up!"  
In a flash of brilliant light Sailor Haiku came into action. (description in  
prologue, red, pink and white fuku and wings)  
  
None of the others had seen Haiku transform and were quite surprised  
although Haiku didn't give them a chance to say it. "Come on let's go!"  
  
"INDEED," a voice thundered. The Command Point standing before them  
disappeared and the dragon Achemydies appeared before them.  
  
Sailor Moon struck a pose. "I'm Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and on behalf of  
the people of Earth and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"  
  
"SOUNDS EXCITING." Black lightning crackled above them. Sailor Moon called  
upon the power of the ginzuishou and her inherited power of the moon through  
the medallion. The two energies met in the middle. For a moment they seemed  
evenly matched but them Sailor Moon began to fall back. Tuxedo Kamen joined  
his power with hers and it evened out again.  
  
"Something's wrong," Sailor Saturn said. "He shouldn't be this strong,  
should he?"  
  
"I'm not sure what's going on either," Haiku replied. "He's not drawing  
power from the planet but he's getting more powerful by the second. This is  
bad."  
  
"YOU FOOLS!" Achemydies cried. "YOU THOUGHT THAT BY DESTROYING MY WORLD THAT  
I WOULD BE CUT OFF FROM MY POWER? HA!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"YOUR DESTRUCTION OF MY LINK TO THE PLANET MERELY ALLOWED ME TO REGAIN ALL  
OF MY POWERS. I CAN BREAK MY BOND WITH THE PLANET ANYTIME I LIKE."  
  
"No...." Sailor Haiku whispered.  
  
"YES! AND NOW IT WILL END!" The power that Achemydies was exerting  
multiplied tenfold and all of them including Sailor Moon were blasted back.  
It began to seem like reality was ripping apart.  
  
"No! This can't be happening!" Haiku cried. "How am I supposed to know what  
to do? What am I supposed to do!"  
  
Suddenly for Haiku, everything stopped. "Huh? What's going on?"  
  
-Are you willing to give up your place on this world?- a voice said in her  
head.  
  
"What do you mean? Do I have to leave my friends?"  
  
-Are you prepared to become a true senshi of time? Are you prepared to make  
the ultimate sacrifice?-  
  
"And sacrifice my life?"  
  
-Sacrifice your place in this world, forever.-  
  
Haiku barely thought it over. There was no way that they could win. This was  
their last chance. "Yes. I'm ready."  
  
She lifted her sword up to look at the glowing ginzuishou. A medallion  
similar to Sailor Moon's appeared from it and fastened itself around her neck.  
The ginzuishou returned to its normal colour. -Arise Sailor Haiku, the  
senshi of time.- The knowledge of what Haiku had to do filled her mind. She  
took one last look at Sailor Moon. "Sorry mother, but it has to be this way.  
Goodbye..."  
  
The medallion began to glow. Haiku activated the sword as she now stepped  
into the timestream.  
  
*****  
  
Haiku appeared on the island she had appeared at so many times before. She  
took a quick look around and then transported to the moon. The same Command  
Point as in the future already stood there. "Achemydies, show yourself!"  
Haiku shouted out.  
  
Instead of the dragon Haiku had expected to see appear a man all in black  
appeared, similar to the one that the senshi had fought.  
  
"WHY DO YOU CHALLENGE ME? YOU ARE NOT AN AVATAR OF THIS SYSTEM. KNOW YOU NOT  
THAT THE POWER OF MY RACE IS INFINITE?"  
  
"I can see that you have already cast your power into the planet."  
  
"BUT I MAY SUMMON IT BACK AT ANY TIME."  
  
"Well, we're going to have to fix that won't we?"  
  
"WHAT!!!"  
  
Haiku lifted up her sword and blasted him back. Then she turned and held the  
sword up in front of her, facing the Earth. A black glow surrounded the  
planet. Haiku activated her power and a white glow appeared around the  
black. The black sank into the planet.  
  
"WHAT? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? I CAN STILL CRUSH YOU WITH MY POWER!"  
  
"That will not be necessary," Haiku called out cheerfully. "Bye!" Achemydies  
screamed as Haiku disappeared. He couldn't call back his power from the  
planet, but he learned that he could still use it to rebuild the planet. He  
sealed it into things called 'Command Points' which allowed him to  
temporarily draw some of it back. As long as no one found out that that was  
his weakness...  
  
*****  
  
The gale of power that Sailor Moon had been fighting against suddenly  
disappeared. "WHAT? WHY HAVE I LOST MY POWER?!" the beyonder a shouted.  
  
A familiar voice called out from nowhere and everywhere. "Fight him. I have  
sealed his power. Fight him now with all of your might!"  
  
That's when Sailor Moon realized that Haiku was gone. "Where did Haiku go?"  
  
"She's gone to play her part. Now do yours," Seran commanded. With a  
reassuring hand from Tuxedo Kamen Sailor Moon faced the beyonder.  
  
"This is the end! Give us our planet back!" The tier appeared in her hands.  
Knowledge filled her mind. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" The beyonder  
was engulfed in her light power.  
  
Sailor Saturn realized that Sailor Moon wouldn't be enough to stop him.  
Haiku had already gone. It was time for her to use her ultimate power. She  
held up her glaive. No one who was watching her knew what she was going to  
do. She brought the glaive down and blasted the beyonder with the power of  
death. Everything exploded.  
  
Eventually the dust settled. Sailor Moon lifted Tuxedo Kamen's cape aside,  
got up and looked around. A giant crater was present where Achemydies had  
been standing. Sailor Moon looked all around. "Where is Saturn?!" Seran got  
up from the place on the ground where he had been shielding.  
  
"She's gone. She disappeared shortly after she released that power. What was  
that?"  
  
"The doubled edged sword, her ultimate power," Sailor Moon whispered. "Why  
did we have to loose both of them?" she asked, tears entering her voice.  
  
"Have we won?" Seran asked.  
  
Sailor Moon looked towards the crater. "I don't know. I don't know how  
anything could have survived that."  
  
"I TOLD YOU THAT I WAS IMMORTAL. NOT EVEN THE POWER OF DEATH CAN STOP ME!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
They watched as Achemydies rose from the crater. "No..."  
  
"THIS ENDS NOW!"  
  
"How can we win?" Sailor Moon asked. "We don't have anything left."  
  
Suddenly two forms began to shimmer into existence on each side of  
Achemydies. "NO! NOT NOW!" he cried.  
  
The two figures formed into dragons. "Why not now?"  
  
"I, uh, I'm not finished yet. I have a few more things to finish up."  
[notice that Achemydies is no longer speaking in capitals like an all  
powerful being]  
  
The new arrivals looked at the planet which was unable to support life at  
the moment and not moving in time which was beyond the power of Achemydies.  
Then they looked at where the few remaining senshi were standing, and the  
crater below. "Explain this, explain yourself!"  
  
Achemydies was silent.  
  
The dragon looked directly at Sailor Moon. "Who are you and what are you  
doing here?"  
  
"This is my home and I am fighting him for it, who are you?" Sailor Moon  
responded defiantly.  
  
"My name is Utananath. I am of the same race as Achemydies. Now answer me,  
why do you wish to fight him? Has he not saved your planet?"  
  
"Saved? Hardly. Two years ago he attacked my home. I've lost so many... how  
can you say that he has saved us? he has sentenced us to slavery and death!"  
  
"There seems to be a certain knowledge that we are both lacking. The purpose  
of my race is to help the people of dying planets. Allow me to bond with  
your mind so that we may learn of each other and I may pass judgment." The  
dragon flew down and landed in front of Sailor Moon. She nodded to Tuxedo  
Mask who allowed her to step forward. Sailor Moon placed a hand on  
Utananath's snout and entered a trance. No one moved.  
  
A moment later they separated. "I apologize for the pain that my brethren  
has cast upon your people."  
  
"I understand. It was impossible to avoid."  
  
"It's all lies! She is a deceiver!" Achemydies cried. "This planet was  
doomed to destroy itself."  
  
"This woman shows me otherwise. She has seen her own future, or the future  
that she should have had. How do you plead?"  
  
Achemydies looked both ways and vanished. But so did the other dragon  
floating beside him. A moment later they both reappeared. Utananath turned  
back to Sailor Moon. "I return the planet to you. I see that you have the  
power to heal it. Restore your planet and try to regain time how it was at  
least supposed to be. Achemydies will trouble you no more." With that all  
three dragons disappeared.  
  
Sailor Moon fell to her knees. "Finally, it's over. But so many have been  
lost."  
  
"Don't worry, everything will work out," Tuxedo Kamen comforted.  
  
"But Haiku and Hotaru. Are they gone for good?"  
  
"I'm sure that they have found their place. Now come on. It's time for  
Crystal Tokyo to come to light."  
  
"You're right." Sailor Moon looked to Seran. "What will you do now?" she  
asked.  
  
"Oh, I'll be around," he responded before disappearing.  
  
Sailor Moon lifted the ginzuishou from her broach and held it up. Her sailor  
fuku disappeared and was replaced by a white dress similar to the one she  
wore as Princess Serenity but with wings on the back and more mature.  
Holding the ginzuishou in one hand she reached out and took Tuxedo Kamen's  
arm in the other. He changed into a blue Tuxedo.  
  
"Come on Endymion, let's go build our new home."  
  
*****  
  
Sailor Haiku stood looking out over an endless plain. Her hair waved back  
and forth in the wind. A small ball of light, a lifeforce, floated down  
beside her. She touched it and it took form.  
  
Sailor Saturn opened her eyes. "What? How?" She looked up. "Haiku?"  
  
Haiku didn't look down at where Saturn was sitting but continued to look out  
over the plain. "We won Hotaru. We were able to buy enough time for  
Achemydies' masters to arrive. They took him back. Usagi has become  
Neo-Queen Serenity and founded Crystal Tokyo. Over half of the Earth's  
population is gone but they will eventually rebuild." Haiku looked at  
Saturn. "But I have become the senshi of time and am not allowed to go  
back."  
  
"You, you stopped my spirit from being reborn?"  
  
Haiku knelt. "Hotaru, you have a choice. You can be reborn on Earth with the  
power of Saturn and live the life of a normal girl until Saturn is reawoken  
or you can come with me."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Haiku stood back up. "There are two more renegade beyonders present in the  
galaxy. I now know what I have to do."  
  
Sailor Saturn stood up. "Then I'll follow you."  
  
"Are you sure? It won't be easy."  
  
"We're friends. Come on let's go."  
  
Haiku smiled. "Thanks Hotaru."  
  
A man appeared in front of them. "Ha, finally found you!"  
  
"Seran?" Haiku puzzled. "How did you find us. I'm not allowed to..."  
  
"I don't have any place in Crystal Tokyo. I'm coming with you two."  
  
"Fine then. Welcome aboard."  
  
"By the way, where are you going?"  
  
"Beyonder hunting."  
  
end eps. 29  
  
Booya! How about that for an ending! Just the epilogue left to go :) 


	32. Epilogue

Sailor Moon: World Rebirth  
Epilogue  
  
Night in Crystal Tokyo. The room was silent, except for the quiet breathing  
of the two people in the room.  
  
One, the baby princess sleeping peacefully in the cradle. The other sat on a  
chair beside the cradle, watching the baby sleep. A sound in the next room  
drew Haiku's attention away from the cradle. Serenity was coming, and it was  
time for Haiku to leave again. She wouldn't be able to see her mother again  
until her mission was complete and she had given up her office. Sighing, she  
stood up and disappeared. She had seen what she came to see.  
  
A moment later Neo-Queen Serenity poked her head into the room, finding  
nothing. She tiptoed over to the cradle to see that her daughter was still  
sleeping peacefully. It was strange, but she was sure that she had sensed  
someone else in the room.  
  
"Haiku has already left again," a voice said from the shadows of the room.  
  
"Who's there?" Serenity asked. She watched as the person she had only met  
for a brief period of time years ago emerged from the shadows. She hadn't  
even sensed Seran's presence.  
  
"She just came by to make sure that your daughter was all right. We were  
passing through the system and she just had to stop by and check in.  
Unfortunately, she is still unable to return to you. Her office still  
carries that sacrifice."  
  
Serenity said nothing for a moment. "I... understand. How... how are you  
doing?"  
  
"Well, Haiku certainly has come a long way. Hotaru and I still follow her,  
and even Orion has helped us a few times."  
  
"That's good to hear," Serenity replied. She was unsure of what to say.  
  
"Well, I have to go now. Haiku's finished so the army's on the move again."  
  
"Haiku is part of an army?"  
  
"Serenity, Haiku is leading the army. She's moved up in the galaxy from  
protecting planets. Now she protects the entire galaxy."  
  
"Will her fight never be over?"  
  
"Someday, Haiku will be able to return. But the spirit of the senshi of time  
will fight to protect the peace for forever."  
  
THE END  
Well, there it is. It leaves a lot of openings for additional stories that I will  
probably never write but that's ok. You can just imagine :)  
  
I apologize for not finishing this up back in September.  
The next sailor moon story I'm writing takes place in the same universe since it's based  
on something I mentioned near the end of the story. It takes place about 12,000 years in  
the past and is titled 'Legend'. I've been doing research on ancient civilizations and  
writing up backgrounds and character sketches. I'm still working on the first run of  
drafts so it might be worth looking into in a month or so. The first couple chapters  
should be up in a week or so. 


End file.
